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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Cabinet Report Card for 2005
The Democratic Alliance believes that the Cabinet failed to pass muster in 2005 and performed, on balance, worse than last year. In a rating of ministerial performance on a scale of one (1) to ten (10) across all 28 ministries, including the offices of both the President and the Deputy President, the average grade was four and a half (4½) - compared with last year's five (5).
The Cabinet's combined failure reflects the ANC-induced crisis in our state apparatus. Ructions within the ruling party, caused by infighting and rival allegiances to President Thabo Mbeki and former Deputy President Jacob Zuma, have manifested themselves in the National Intelligence Agency, the South African Police Service, the Scorpions, the public service and the parastatals.
At municipal level, the state barely functions. ANC-led local governments spend more time managing internal political conflicts than delivering basic services. This is bad news for governance.
President Mbeki, for his part, has had a difficult year keeping order in this divided house. Undoubtedly, he deserves high praise for axing Jacob Zuma over allegations of corruption related to the multi-billion rand arms deal. But his failure to take equally tough action against those implicated in the Oilgate and UN Oil-For-Food scandals suggests that he may well have succumbed to T.S. Eliot's last temptation and greatest treason: doing the right deed for the wrong reason. As such, we believe his overall performance merits neither an upward nor a downward shift from last year's 5/10.
With regards to the economy, the President must be congratulated on South Africa's accomplishment of a 5.1% gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for the first nine months of 2005 as well as his support for critical economic reforms.
President Mbeki also achieved a measure of success on the foreign policy front - most notably by convincing G-8 leaders at Gleneagles to commit to providing debt relief and increased aid for Africa. This was somewhat overshadowed, however, by his continued support of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, in spite of yet another rigged election and a brutal campaign of forced removals (Operation Murambatsvina). Last year's report card criticised President Mbeki for having failed to bring about a resolution to the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe by his self-imposed June 2004 deadline. Eighteen months later, nothing has changed.
The President's support for Mugabe has diminished South Africa's stature in international affairs. Coupled with other serious errors of judgment - such as expanding ties with North Korea and Iran, and defending both of these countries against international pressure for them to halt their nuclear programmes - this has served to reinforce South Africa's image as the world's chief supporter of pariah states.
Domestically, a number of key failures undermined the President's commitment to clean and transparent government. These include his silence on both the Oilgate and UN Oil-For-Food scandals and his refusal to answer parliamentary questions that may shed light on his own involvement in the arms deal.
Finally, his ongoing failure to provide strategic leadership on HIV/Aids also prevented the President from upping his score this year.
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View the scorecard for 2004
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