DA requests debate of national importance on cadre deployment
12 August 2021
The DA has written to the acting speaker of the National Assembly, Lechesa Tsenoli, to request a debate of national importance on cadre deployment.
The ANC’s policy of cadre deployment has resulted in the near collapse of State. Instead of ensuring that the most capable individuals were appointed to crucial positions within the State, this policy to this day ensures that State organs are hollowed out, resulting in the grand scale looting and corruption that sees politically connected individuals like the Guptas and Digital Vibes-masterminds, Tahera Mather and Naadhira Mitha, living in stolen luxury while ordinary South Africans literally starve.
The truth is that while former President Jacob Zuma seems to have spearheaded the country’s capture, blame must also be laid at the feet of President Cyril Ramaphosa who was the chairperson of the ANC’s cadre deployment committee where he actively participated in deploying ANC cadres across government departments where they ultimately facilitated the Gupta-family’s looting of our State coffers, State-owned entities (SOEs) and government departments.
This policy by the ruling party has led to the wide-spread corruption that is rife within our government.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s previous testimony before the Zondo commission, as well as his testimony this week, has shown that he has no desire to be held accountable for consequences of this policy, his hand in its employment and how it has impacted our State resources.
In fact, when confronted with the evidence of State capture, the President said he only became aware of it through the media. Are we to belief that he was so out of touch with his own party back then that he did not see the rot? Or was it rather a case of putting the ANC above the country – the only thing apart from stealing from the poor that he and his cadres certainly seem to experts at.
Yesterday, the Zondo commission acceded to the DA’s request for the minutes of the cadre deployment committee to be made public. And while the records from between 2013 and 2018 – when President Ramaphosa was the chairperson – has somehow disappeared, the DA will not give up the fight in finding out his exact involvement in the facilitation of the country’s capture by deploying cadres that fully enabled the Guptas and other hyenas in stripping it bare. The sudden disappearance of the committee’s minutes alludes to damning evidence within.
Today, the DA submitted our End Cadre Deployment Bill with the Speaker’s Office in Parliament, which seeks to end the ANC’s cadre deployment committee’s power to appoint State officials on the basis of loyalty to the party rather than on the basis of merit.
Only by ending this destructive policy can South Africa ever hope to regain the economic momentum to lift all our citizens from poverty.
Text of the letter:
Hon S L Tsenoli MP Speaker of the National Assembly
Parliament of the Republic of South Africa
P.O. Box 15 Cape Town 8000
12 August 2021
Dear Deputy Speaker,
REQUEST FOR DEBATE OF URGENT MATTER OF NATIONAL PUBLIC IMPORTANCE IN TERMS OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY RULE 130 ON THE POLICY OF CADRE DEPLOYMENT AND ITS DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS ON STATE INSTITUTIONS IN THE REPUBLIC
With reference to the above-mentioned matter.
I write to you in terms of National Assembly Rule 130 to request that you schedule a debate of urgent national importance on the policy of cadre deployment and its detrimental effects on state institutions in the Republic of South Africa.
It has become clear during State Capture Commission testimony, that the primary cause of our incapable state is the practice of ‘cadre deployment’, which appoints politically connected individuals to leadership positions in state institutions through the mechanism of deployment committees. The people of South Africa urgently need their representatives to debate this policy, and its detrimental effects on the capability of our state. Our citizens deserve to have the most qualified and experienced individuals appointed to state leadership positions in order to ensure that the state serves them in a capable and efficient manner.
We believe this matter is of utmost urgency, as it has become clear that the policy of cadre deployment is directly responsible for the hollowing out of capability in our state institutions, thereby directly harming the lives of all South Africans. We also believe that the unconstitutionality of this policy must be brought to light and debated by our public representatives at the soonest date possible. The increasing outrage directed at this policy amongst the South African public demands that we convene an urgent debate to discuss how this policy has resulted in a significant destruction of capability across the breadth of our state institutions.
The policy of ‘cadre deployment’ was adopted by the ANC at its Mafikeng conference in 1997. This policy replaced merit based public sector appointments, made in the best interests of the public, to a system which explicitly favored appointing ANC members to all key positions of the State, in order to do the party’s bidding. The stated aim of this policy was explicitly outlined by the ANC to be to “control all levers of power”.
The policy has been carried out through the establishment of deployment committees, which makes recommendations on which ANC cadres should be appointed to key state institutions.
The DA has warned against this policy since the late 1990’s, arguing that it is in violation of Section 197(3) of the Constitution which stipulates that: “No employee of the public service may be favored or prejudiced only because that person supports.” We therefore believe this current policy of the ANC is in violation of the Constitution itself.
It has become increasingly clear that the policy of cadre deployment is directly responsible for many of the failures in governance the South African public now endures. The placing of persons into leadership positions of state institutions, in order to reward political loyalty has systematically destroyed state capacity, enabled state capture, and harmed the lives of all South Africans. In particular, the poor have been harmed the most as they are most reliant on effective and efficient state service delivery.
In addition, this policy has proven to be undemocratic, and undermines the principle of separation between party and state. It has also resulted in individuals who lack the necessary skills being appointed to important high level positions within state institutions. This policy has resultantly hollowed out the capacity of the state, and dramatically reduced the state’s ability to deliver basic services to its citizens.
The destruction of state capacity, resulting from cadre deployment, was made clear in the tragic riots last month. The inability of the police and intelligence services to effectively pre-empt and deal with this security threat, highlighted how utterly ineffective and incapable parts of the South African government have been rendered. Most South Africans now believe this issue is directly a result of appointing unqualified and inexperienced cadres
A clear example of the appointment of grossly underqualified individuals was made apparent in the appointment of former Minister of Defence, Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula. She headed the SANDF during the insurrection last month, yet contrary to what the South African public should expect of a Defence Minister, Nqakula had never served in the SANDF, or possessed any qualifications related to national defence prior to becoming Minister. The failure of our security services to
adequately protect the South African public can in part be attributed to this lack of experienced and qualified leadership within important state leadership roles.
Further highlighting the urgent need for this debate, is the revelation at the State Capture Commission that no records were kept in the ANC’s deployment committee between 2013 and 2018, when President Ramaphosa was the committee chairperson. This is deeply concerning, and interrogation into this lapse of record keeping is required by our nation’s public representatives.
The South African government urgently needs to begin appointing the most qualified and experienced individuals for important state positions. The appointment of underqualified cabinet members and heads of state institutions must come to an end, so as to rebuild state capacity and begin improving the quality of life for all South Africans. The policy of cadre deployment strikes at the very heart of the malaise which has permeated throughout South Africa’s state institutions. This policy and its detrimental effects on our society must be brought to an end as soon as possible.
As required by National Assembly Rule 130(8)(d), this is a matter of national importance for which the Government can – and should – be held responsible. This is also, as per rule 130(8)(c)(i) and (ii) a matter serious in nature and of immense public importance, as the policy of deploying politically loyal cadres instead of the most suitably qualified individuals, detrimentally affects all aspects of public life. There can be no further delay in debating and ending this root cause of our dysfunctional state, as this unconstitutional policy’s harmful effects on public life is simply too great to ignore.
I hereby request that you schedule at your earliest convenience a debate of urgent national importance on the policy of cadre deployment and the utilisation of deployment committees within the Republic.
I look forward to your favourable response. Yours faithfully,
N.W.A Mazzone MP
Chief Whip of the Official Opposition
ENDS
Issued by Natasha Mazzone, Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, 12 August 2021
