Recent press reports that the Minister of Water Affairs had appointed Mo Shaik and Menzi Simelane as special advisers to the department generated a lot of reaction, mostly unfavourable, from the general public.
For my part, I felt that this cavalier decision by the minister aptly characterised two negative and linked traits of the governing party:
ALSO READ : Good Business Basics: Local government is a shambles
Recycling
Firstly, their obsession with ‘recycling’ the same individuals by repeatedly appointing them to key party and government positions, and secondly, their absolute disinterest in transforming the civil service into a professional, apolitical body.
If one had to for a moment ignore the lack of moral rectitude of both the individuals, (Shaik has been accused of using the State Security Services to protect and further the personal aims of then President Jacob Zuma while heading it, and Simelane’s personal integrity was given a battering in the court action that forced his removal as head of the NPA after being appointed by Zuma).
Muster
Their appointment by the minister implied that almost five years after they last served in government, no other candidates could muster the qualifications to fill the advisor’s roles.
Given that their skill sets are legal (Simelane) and intelligence (Shaik), it is hard to fathom what contribution they could make to water and sanitation at a national level.
It is therefore, in my view, a blatant example of the worst kind of cadre deployment.
In my interactions with younger supporters of the ruling party, the recycling of senior political leadership is cited as a reason for disillusionment.
Redeployed
It is common to find, as in our district, an outgoing mayor being redeployed as speaker or deputy mayor, while the speaker steps into the mayor’s shoes.
The infusion of new blood and new thinking is actively discouraged.
Mirrors
This mirrors the national situation, with many current ministers having served in various portfolios since the advent of democracy in 1994.
The reluctance of the ruling party to actively promote the infusion of new ideas and thinking via the appointment of a younger cadre of leaders to key positions has led to the malaise infecting it currently, and the general dysfunctionality of the state at large.
After matriculating, Vijay Naidoo studied Economics in the UK. Upon his return, he joined the family construction business as MD for 10 years.
He subsequently joined his sister in their furniture manufacturing business as director for quality assurance and operations. He was responsible for all quality aspects of their products, and led the project to the business achieving an ISO 9000 quality accreditation. As an export focused business, this was important for our international competitiveness.
Mr Naidoo has an abiding interest in quality management and productivity improvement, particularly in manufacturing.
More recently, he has focused a lot of his time on giving back to the community by way of mentorship of small businesses and sitting on the executive of the South Coast Chamber of Commerce. He also sits on the Board of the Ugu South Coast Development Agency.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
