There are signs cadre deployment is indeed on the way out

Are we witnessing the demise of cadre deployment, which has been official ANC policy since 1997 and is blamed for corruption, including state capture? There are signs that the practice is indeed on the way out.

Yet beneficiaries are not ready to surrender a gift that keeps on giving. Perhaps the first significant high-level blow to cadre deployment came when the policy was laid bare during the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. The commission report said cadre deployment is unconstitutional and illegal.

Yet, as pointed out in The Citizen last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s response to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in a recent address to the nation failed to deal with cadre deployment. However, on 19 October, Cabinet approved a reworked national implementation framework towards the professionalisation of the public service, which further weakens cadre deployment.

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Ramaphosa devotes his latest newsletter to the framework, saying the aim is to “… ensure that only qualified and competent individuals are appointed to the ranks of the public service”.

Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Leon Schreiber says changes to the framework are dramatic. “The policy says that cynicism around the public sector has massively grown as people become more aware,” Schreiber told Biznews. “The policy … in very clear terms, says cadre deployment is to be ditched in favour of merit-based appointment and recruitment processes.”

Remember, we are talking about a framework approved by Cabinet, to apply to the public service. Can you imagine a public service without cadre deployment – a public service where people are appointed and promoted on merit? Surely that would make a huge difference to our country.

As if on cue, new Eskom board member Mteto Nyati has signalled an end to preferential employment policies at the state-owned enterprise.

“Right now, we need to be focusing on who is the best person for the job, because those are the ones who should be fixing what needs to be fixed, regardless of how they look,” he told the Sunday Times. He spoke against “rigid rules in place around who to employ in terms of equity targets”.

In what could be one of the most important developments at Eskom in a long time, Nyati also highlighted wasteful procurement policies.

“If you’re going to do proper maintenance, you need to procure spares. If you end up using spares that are pirated, you shouldn’t be surprised when things break down. Internal corruption is largely at the back of empowerment policies that promote local small businesses,” he said.

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Already, there is push-back from unions and political parties who may have been benefitting from such practices. Despite promoting a new merit-based approach to the public service, Ramaphosa does not seem ready to accept Zondo’s view on cadre deployment.

In January, he will oppose the DA’s attempt in the High Court in Pretoria to have cadre deployment declared unconstitutional and illegal. The commission’s statement does not have the same status as a court ruling in this instance.

The legal challenge no doubt played a role in nudging the government to move away from cadre deployment. When Eskom and the public service ditch cadre deployment, a brighter future beckons for South Africa. There is hope.