Ramaphosa’s weak leadership opens the door for RET-aligned figures to tighten their grip on Johannesburg and national politics.
SA’s most significant political conflict is within the ANC. President Cyril Ramaphosa is losing his grip to factions supporting radical economic transformation (RET), where his deputy, Paul Mashatile, is front-runner.
Ramaphosa’s dismissal of the DA’s Andrew Whitfield likely has little to do with insubordination.
More relevant is the linking of Mashatile to scandal around the national lottery, which falls under the department of trade, industry and competition, where Whitfield was deputy minister.
According to Daily Maverick, an amaBhungane report led to the department’s minister, Parks Tau, coming under pressure to account for possible conflicts of interest in the licence bidding process.
The timing is significant: “As a result of amaBhungane’s reporting, members of parliament grilled Tau about Mashatile’s possible conflicts of interest during a committee meeting on Tuesday. Several questions put to Mashatile’s office went unanswered.
“Then, in a shocking turn of events, President Ramaphosa announced on Wednesday that he had taken a decision to remove Whitfield.”
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Joining these dots, it may be plausible to suggest Mashatile insisted that Whitfield be dismissed for asking uncomfortable questions about the lottery. And Ramaphosa didn’t have the political clout to refuse this request.
A win for RETs.
This week, there was another sign the more unsavoury side of the ANC is gaining the upper hand. There are no “good guys” in the ANC leadership. The organisation is held together by intersecting networks of patronage and cadre favouritism.
Consider Monday’s announcement of the appointment of yet another acting city manager for Johannesburg. Last month, the city council asked Gauteng MEC for cooperative governance Jacob Mamabolo to second, or deploy, someone to act as city manager until the position is filled.
Mamabolo himself is no stranger to controversy. In 2021/22 he was investigated by the public protector. Last year, the DA raised questions about his eligibility to serve on the provincial executive, following allegations linking him to the VBS looting scandal.
Kiba Kekana, named by Mamabolo to act as Joburg city manager, also has a chequered history. Kekana is a former municipal manager of Tshwane, where his tenure was plagued by allegations ranging from nepotism to misuse of ratepayer funds.
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While prosecutions and formal rebukes don’t exist, the reputational damage and questionable governance trail remain.
So, Kekana, appointed by Mamabolo, who in turn serves at the pleasure of Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi, is now effectively Johannesburg’s chief executive officer.
A win for RETs.
Lesufi, who shares Mashatile’s radical economic transformation views, also fancies his chances of replacing Ramaphosa as ANC leader. In Joburg, Kekana, as acting city manager, now has sign-off authority.
Even projects endorsed by Ramaphosa’s presidential Johannesburg working group will need his signature.
ANC factionalism is already rampant at multiple levels in Johannesburg. None of these limited interventions from national and provincial level will make a tangible difference in the lives of Johannesburg’s overtaxed, underserved ratepayers, who are treated as undeserving cash cows.
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We have a half-baked version of placing Joburg under administration. We need the full version. Dissolve council. Fresh elections will unstick Joburg’s RET-leaning government of local unity.
