Cabinet Report Card: Job losses and rising corruption earn President Zuma an ‘F'

Note to editors: This press statement was distributed at a press conference by DA Parliamentary Leader,Lindiwe Mazibuko MP, DA Caucus Chairperson, Dr Wilmot James MP and DA Shadow Minister in the Presidency, Joe McGluwa MP. The complete Cabinet Report Card analysis can be found here. 

As the Official Opposition in Parliament, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has a mandate to hold the Executive to account and to provide oversight over its performance. Every year the DA produces a Cabinet Report Card which provides an overview of the performance of the President and his Cabinet during that year.

This exercise aims to give effect to Section 92(2) of the Constitution which provides that: "Members of Cabinet are accountable collectively and individually to Parliament for the exercise of their powers and the performance of their functions."

The DA's 2013 Cabinet Report Card allocates scores (between A and F) to each Minister, the President and his deputy based on qualitative, broad criteria.

This year, President Zuma has, once again, led his cabinet as the worst performer in 2013. Throughout his term of office, we have been unable to allocate him a mark higher than an ‘E' or an ‘F'. He receives an ‘F' again for the 2013 review.

President Zuma's term in office, which will come to an end this year, has been characterised by job losses and corruption. Millions of South Africans are worse off today than they were when President Zuma first came into office in 2009. 

There is no question that life in South Africa is better than it was under apartheid. But President Zuma is reversing the progress that was made during the administrations which preceded his term of office. 

This is the reason I challenged him in 2012 to do what is right by stepping down from office. It is the reason eight opposition parties in Parliament initiated a motion of no confidence against the President for his failure to lead South Africa in the way that is required of him by the Constitution of the Republic. 

It is also the reason that, should the Public Protector's report find that he misled Parliament or violated the Executive Ethics Code on the Nkandlagate scandal, I will table a resolution in the National Assembly to have President Zuma impeached.

Our Cabinet Report Card shows that President Zuma has presided over some of the worst crises in democratic South Africa. 

These include the following:

Corruption has sky-rocketed, costing the tax-payer an estimated R30 billion a year. 

Our criminal justice system has been manipulated to prevent President Zuma from facing trial. The DA has been embroiled in a court battle for years in order to get the record of decision that was used to drop over 700 charges of corruption against President Zuma. However, his lawyers - at the expense of South Africa's taxpayers - have delayed the matter and appealed to every court in the land to prevent the Spy Tapes from being released to the DA.

The war against crime has been hampered by poor leadership as leaders in the independent institutions of the state have been selected for being politically connected to President Zuma. In addition, President Zuma took a year to appoint a permanent head of the Special Investing Unit and a National Director of Public Prosecutions. 

Police brutality has spiraled out of control even after the horrific events which unfolded at Marikana in 2012. Citizens no longer feel that the police are there to protect them. Instead, they feel the need to be protected from the police.

Crucially, and most tragically, President Zuma has presided over a weak economy that is lagging behind most of our peers in Africa and around the globe. South Africans have paid the price for the President's dithering on economic policy, with over 1.3 million jobs lost since he took office. 

While President Zuma's performance in 2013 has been marked by an appalling lack of leadership, the President has also presided over some of the biggest scandals in democratic South Africa. These include: 

The spending of over R200 million of public money on his private home in Nkandla and the subsequent government cover-up over the course of a year. 

The landing of a jet chartered by the Gupta family at Waterkloof Air Force Base, allegedly without authorisation. The Guptas have well-known ties with President Zuma and have used his name on several occasions to gain direct access to members of the Executive - effectively breaching national security and protocol.

The deployment of SANDF personnel to the Central African Republic, where over 13 soldiers lost their lives engaging rebels. It remains unclear whether President Zuma informed Parliament fully of this deployment. Questions also remain about why our soldiers were sent to the CAR in the first place - given the undemocratic regime of Francois Bozize. 

President Zuma's inappropriate involvement in the Masibambisane rural development project - an organisation which he chairs in his personal capacity while lobbying government departments for funding in his capacity as Head of State. 

The millions of tax payers' money spent on delaying the release of the Spy Tapes and therefore preventing a judicial review of the decision to drop over 700 charges of corruption against President Zuma.  

There are some Ministers who, despite the lack of leadership from the President, still managed to perform well within their departments in 2013. These include:

The Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi who has made tremendous headway in tackling critical health problems facing the country, including the fight against HIV/AIDS, communicable and lifestyle diseases. 

The Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, who has been well informed and has appropriately addressed the challenges his Department faces.

The Minister of Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, who must be commended for the sustained growth in South Africa's tourism industry, the finalisation of requisite legislation and the creation of inter-departmental synergy. 

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who has retained a tight grip on South Africa's purse strings and pushed through the Youth Wage Subsidy policy (albeit watered down) despite ideological divisions in Cabinet.  He however has had his hands tied and been unable to implement the reforms needed to create jobs and drive growth. 

President Zuma's poor leadership is at the root of his cabinet's overall lacklustre performance. With no internal accountability, a number of Ministers continue to fail to deliver without any risk of being removed.

The Ministers who have scored an ‘F' and should be removed from cabinet without any further delay include:

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, who has consistently received an F. She is the subject of two damning Public Protector Reports and should have been removed some time ago.

Economic Development Minister, Ebrahim Patel, who has failed to justify the continued existence of his department over the past year. The department claims to provide support to priority departments but this often results in redundancies, with jobs lost instead of created.

Minister of Labour, Mildred Oliphant, who was nowhere to be seen during labour unrest that threatened to destabilise various sectors of the South African economy this past year.  Instead of dealing with the underlying causes of this unrest, Minister Oliphant has pushed through legislation that will kill jobs.

The Minister of Mineral Resources, Susan Shabangu, who has failed to halt declining production levels and job losses. Instead she has pushed ahead - despite advice to the contrary - with the job-killing Mineral and Petroleum Resources Amendment Bill.

Police Minister, Nathi Mthethwa, has failed to perform on any significant level. Under his watch serious crime, police criminality and contingent liabilities have increased. Instead of fighting crime, he has spent more time in court trying to undermine the Western Cape Government's efforts to prevent crime in the province.

The Minister of Public Works, Thulas Nxesi, who has spent most of his time spinning President Zuma out of the Nkandlagate scandal, presides over a department which is riddled with financial mismanagement and devoid of policy direction. The Auditor-General (A-G), Terence Nombembe, has issued a Disclaimer of Opinion - the worst possible audit outcome - for the Department's Property Management Trading Entity (PMTE) for the third year in a row. 

The Minister of Social Development, Bathabile Dlamini's lack of leadership has seen her department fail to successfully implement the Children's Act, the Child Protection Register and has presided over a compromised grants re-registration process. Instead of focussing on correcting these, she has spent public money trying to skew the outcome of by-elections in the hotly contested Tlokwe Municipality.

The Minister of State Security, Siyabonga Cwele's performance remains dismal. His department continues to be shrouded in secrecy and he refuses to be held accountable by Parliament. Minister Cwele's department is more likely to be seen preventing President Zuma being booed at ANC events, than ensuring the safety of our troops in the Central African Republic.

As we approach the election date in a few months, South Africans will have an important choice to make. They can either allow President Zuma's ANC to destroy the South African dream, or they can vote for a party that will cut corruption, create jobs, and bring the dream of a prosperous South Africa for all one step closer.

South Africa needs a president who will not be afraid to make difficult decisions and put good governance above political expediency. It has become clear that Jacob Zuma is not that president.

The DA will do everything possible to hold the government to account. But South Africans must also play their part - and fire President Zuma on election day.

Statement issued by DA parliamentary leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko, January 15 2014

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