EFF statement on Steenhuisen’s racist and unqualified cadre deployment
2 September 2024
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) condemns, in the strongest terms, the blatant display of white privilege and hypocrisy demonstrated by John Steenhuisen in his appointment of unqualified individuals to key positions within his ministry. This move is a clear reminder that in South Africa, white skin continues to be a license to power, irrespective of qualifications, experience, or competence.
Steenhuisen seeks to appoint a spokesperson and two other high-profile ministerial positions to individuals whose highest qualification is a mere matric certificate. He has even shamelessly written to Public Service and Administration Minister Mzamo Buthelezi, brazenly seeking a deviation from the Professionalisation Framework—a framework designed to ensure that only the most qualified individuals occupy middle and senior management positions in the public service.
Steenhuisen's latest appointments, including a controversial podcaster accused of making racist remarks, highlight the deeply entrenched racism and nepotism within the Democratic Alliance (DA). It is a glaring contradiction that while black professionals are forced to work twice as hard, meet stringent requirements, and prove their worth beyond measure, white individuals are simply required to be white to secure positions of influence.
Steenhuisen's request to deviate from the minimum requirements for his appointments s a blatant abuse of power and a direct affront to the principles of meritocracy and fairness. This is particularly worse given the DA's consistent denouncement of cadre deployment—a practice they now eagerly embrace, without even the pretence of ensuring that their appointees are capable of performing their duties.
This hypocrisy is further amplified by the fact that the ANC has enabled this disaster through their DA-ANC coalition, creating an environment where such injustices can thrive. In fact, the DA has the ANC so firmly in its grasp that it was not the ANC's leadership, but rather the ANC's study group on Agriculture that sounded the alarm.
This speaks volumes about the DA's influence and the ANCs lack of decisive leadership.
This is not an isolated incident. In 2018, it was revealed that the DA mayor of the City of Tshwane had appointed an unqualified white chief of staff who had even falsely claimed to have a degree. The DA's history of appointing unqualified individuals is a pattern of behaviour that exposes their commitment to maintaining white supremacy in positions of power, at the expense of qualified and capable black professionals who are systematically overlooked.
We must call out this charade for what it is—an entrenched system of white privilege that continues to undermine the progress of black professionals in this country. The EFF will not stand idly by while unqualified individuals are placed in positions of power, perpetuating the cycle of incompetence and inequality that has plagued our nation for far too long.
Issued by Leigh-Ann Mathys, National Spokesperson, EFF, 2 August 2024
