Remove useless ministers, says Zuma
Thématique :
sud afrique
Sibusiso Ngalwa, Sunday Independent, 9 November 2008
Jacob Zuma, the ANC president, has blasted the "slow" pace of government's service delivery and has called for "useless" ministers to be removed, even if it means "breaking friendships".
Zuma was addressing community "opinion makers" in Mitchell's Plain, Cape Town, on Saturday as part of a three-day campaign visit to the Western Cape.
The campaign and voter registration weekend did not go without incidents, as ANC supporters and those of the breakaway Congress of the People - also known as the Shikota movement - apparently clashed in Upington, Northern Cape, on Saturday.
The ANC promised disciplinary action against any of its supporters involved in skirmishes, while Shikota appealed for calm.
Zuma talked tough about the poor performance of the government in service delivery in particular. He criticised under-spending by departments and budget roll-overs, while poverty was "deepening".
He warned that ministers should be held accountable for their failures.
"There is a tendency in government of a slow turning wheel there is no sense of urgency whether it's a councillor or an MP, there's no urgency that people should deliver. Even if people see how useless a minister or MEC is.
"Why don't you remove that person and find someone who can deliver?
We need to change the way the government machinery functions," Zuma said to applause.
He said the culture of budget roll-overs had become "acceptable" in government.
"We can't have the government being an exclusive preserve of the few. The manner in which government operates, we need to jack it up. If [departments] are given money and don't use it [we must ask] why?
That must happen once but not twice. Something somewhere needs to be corrected.
"If it means breaking friendship we should break friendship because I believe our [responsibility] is to serve the people."
Zuma later went on a walkabout at a nearby shopping centre, urging people to register to vote. The ANC president's three-day visit to the Western Cape ends on Sunday with a mass rally in Langa township
Meanwhile, opposition parties gave opposing views on voter registration turnout this weekend.
Sapa reported that President Kgalema Motlanthe urged South Africans to emulate the United States, where Americans turned out in great numbers this week to vote.
Ryan Coetzee, the chief executive officer of the Democratic Alliance, expressed satisfaction with the "big turnout".
"There's a lot of interest in voting and in politics, which bodes very well for the elections in 2009. We think quite a lot of young people will be coming through. Our impression across the board is that there is a high level of energy," said Coetzee.
But Bantu Holomisa, the leader of the United Democratic Movement, expressed concern about the poor turnout of young people yesterday.
"It's the youth I'm worried about and I'm not happy with the turnout. I have been moving around Pretoria, where I'm registered, and it has been slow on Sunday morning.
"I guess people know that the 8th and 9th [of November] are not the last days. We must view the 8th and 9th as starting days to encourage people between now and February, to register," said Holomisa
Even the ANC expressed concern at the "slow" turnout at the 19 000 registration stations across the country. The ruling party urged the youth in particular to register.
Jacob Zuma, the ANC president, has blasted the "slow" pace of government's service delivery and has called for "useless" ministers to be removed, even if it means "breaking friendships".
Zuma was addressing community "opinion makers" in Mitchell's Plain, Cape Town, on Saturday as part of a three-day campaign visit to the Western Cape.
The campaign and voter registration weekend did not go without incidents, as ANC supporters and those of the breakaway Congress of the People - also known as the Shikota movement - apparently clashed in Upington, Northern Cape, on Saturday.
The ANC promised disciplinary action against any of its supporters involved in skirmishes, while Shikota appealed for calm.
Zuma talked tough about the poor performance of the government in service delivery in particular. He criticised under-spending by departments and budget roll-overs, while poverty was "deepening".
He warned that ministers should be held accountable for their failures.
"There is a tendency in government of a slow turning wheel there is no sense of urgency whether it's a councillor or an MP, there's no urgency that people should deliver. Even if people see how useless a minister or MEC is.
"Why don't you remove that person and find someone who can deliver?
We need to change the way the government machinery functions," Zuma said to applause.
He said the culture of budget roll-overs had become "acceptable" in government.
"We can't have the government being an exclusive preserve of the few. The manner in which government operates, we need to jack it up. If [departments] are given money and don't use it [we must ask] why?
That must happen once but not twice. Something somewhere needs to be corrected.
"If it means breaking friendship we should break friendship because I believe our [responsibility] is to serve the people."
Zuma later went on a walkabout at a nearby shopping centre, urging people to register to vote. The ANC president's three-day visit to the Western Cape ends on Sunday with a mass rally in Langa township
Meanwhile, opposition parties gave opposing views on voter registration turnout this weekend.
Sapa reported that President Kgalema Motlanthe urged South Africans to emulate the United States, where Americans turned out in great numbers this week to vote.
Ryan Coetzee, the chief executive officer of the Democratic Alliance, expressed satisfaction with the "big turnout".
"There's a lot of interest in voting and in politics, which bodes very well for the elections in 2009. We think quite a lot of young people will be coming through. Our impression across the board is that there is a high level of energy," said Coetzee.
But Bantu Holomisa, the leader of the United Democratic Movement, expressed concern about the poor turnout of young people yesterday.
"It's the youth I'm worried about and I'm not happy with the turnout. I have been moving around Pretoria, where I'm registered, and it has been slow on Sunday morning.
"I guess people know that the 8th and 9th [of November] are not the last days. We must view the 8th and 9th as starting days to encourage people between now and February, to register," said Holomisa
Even the ANC expressed concern at the "slow" turnout at the 19 000 registration stations across the country. The ruling party urged the youth in particular to register.
