JOHANNESBURG - Much as it pains me to write this, I have to say that for once Justice Malala, the columnist in The Times, got it right when he wrote on Monday - with regard to President Jacob Zuma's Cabinet reshuffle - Zuma "has fiddled while Rome burns".
Well, almost right. I don't think Rome is burning yet - yet I agree that much of the great re-shuffle was a fiddle.
But let's start with the positive. Let's pretend that we're from the New Age newspaper (which we are still waiting to see) and that the glass is half-full, not half-empty.
At least Zuma has acted; at least he's done something. Isn't it remarkable how pleased we all become when he actually takes some action? Consider, for example, the excitement and joy he generated when he spoke out against Julius Malema at the ANC's national general council (NGC) in Durban. The President really ought to think about taking action, even if it's only saying something, more often - shouldn't he?
Now to those aspects of our governance that are, as Malala would have it, burning. Alas, there are far too many to get into detail here. But let's agree that (nationally) health care, education, law, safety and security, and aspects of the economy are not looking too hot (in fact we might even be able to smell some fire there). Nor does a place such as the national broadcaster, the much-beloved SABC, seem to be in good shape.
Okay, so the President zapped Siphiwe Nyanda, the (now former) minister of communications and person responsible inter alia for the SABC. This was a brave move.
Now it looks as though the Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, has the bit firmly clamped between his teeth as far as health is concerned. So why then dump Gwen Ramokgopa, who has bankrupted Pretoria (aka Tshwane) on to the poor fellow's back? Who knows, maybe Zuma is smarter than we give him credit for. Maybe he needed to get Ramokgopa out of Pretoria and Gauteng politics and to put her somewhere where she can do less damage.
Then there's education. Much as some people personally like the Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande (and I am one of them), he should have gone the same way as Nyanda. He's been uncomfortable and cantankerous in his ministerial position; he's said moronic things about the media. Above all, he's not going to "fix" higher education - and he's dumped the one person (his ex-director general, Mary Metcalfe) who had an idea of how to do so.
Law ... hmm, this is a difficult one. Jeff Radebe, the minister, has a big following (but then so, it was said, did Nyanda) and some folk in the ANC national executive committee tell me that Radebe is rockin' and rollin' - really trying to get things done in his ministry. I don't know; I hope the Cabinet re-shuffle has operated as a shot across Radebe's bow.
Police. Why is Nathi Mthethwa still there? Okay, Zuma has removed noisy and sometimes verbally inept Fikile Mbalula from his back (and shifted him to sport, which has turned out to be one of the sillier portfolios). But Mbalula's shift was about placating Mbalula and his backers. It's not going to help fix policing in this crime-stricken country.
The bringing in of new ministers in social development, arts and culture, public works, water and environmental affairs does appear to be a genuine attempt to nudge those ministries and departments out of their miasma, though I am not certain why Geoff Doidge was dislodged at public works.
As for the former minister of labour, Membathisi Mdladlana, the former minister of sports and recreation, Makhenkesi Stofile, and former minister of women, children and persons with disabilities, Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya - all of them had well passed their sell-by dates even though the last had enjoyed an extremely short shelf life.
And so we come to Barbara Hogan, the (ex) minister of public enterprises - one of the most committed and hard working of all ministers and an absolutely straight shooter.
Why was she dumped?
She was dropped in the name of expediency (the youth league wanted another seat) and because ever since the Eskom/Jacob Maroga fandango, when Hogan tried to get Bobby Godsell to return to the helm of the organisation, her days were numbered with Zuma. Zuma lost face over the Godsell incident - he wanted Godsell to soft pedal with Maroga, but Godsell wouldn't - and Zuma doesn't like losing face.
What do we learn from all this? That it was great that Zuma actually got rid of some of the proverbial dead wood. But most of the shuffle was actually about shoring up his own support and placating some of the nosier folk inside the tent - lest they go outside.
Three out of 10 is, alas, all the President gets for the great re-shuffle.
Jeremy Gordin is a veteran journalist and author of Zuma: A Biography. This article first appeared in the Daily Dispatch.
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