Mantashe, Nzimande & Chikunga shouldn't return to cabinet - OUTA
As South Africans wait with bated breath for President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce his new cabinet, various organisations have made inputs on what they would like to see.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says critical changes are needed to address corruption and fix the economy.
The organisation believes meaningful change can only come if Ramaphosa appoints the right people to the cabinet.
OUTA’s CEO Wayne Duvenage has stated that three ministers from the 6th administration should not be reappointed.
These are former Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, former Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande, and former Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga.
"Under Mantashe, the mining cadastre system has collapsed, negatively impacting transparency and investment in South Africa’s mining sector.
"Despite promises to address these issues over the past few years, no substantial progress has been made
"Additionally, the lack of transparency in diesel procurement for Eskom’s peak power usage and other dubious activities on his watch, coupled with his alleged involvement in state capture transactions as reported by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, makes Mantashe unfit for any cabinet role," said Duvenage.
As for Blade Nzimande, Duvenage said his tenure at the Department of Higher Education has been marred by numerous procurement irregularities.
'These irregularities occurred within several Sectoral Education and Training Authorities, universities, TVET Colleges, and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme.
"These issues, coupled with the many gross irregularities OUTA exposed at NSFAS, and the fact that several of the SETAs and NSFAS have been placed under administration, indicate a severe lack of accountability, poor oversight, and poor leadership by Nzimande," added Duvenage.
Although Chikunga was only appointed Transport Minister in March last year, Duvenage said the continuous challenges with road safety, corruption in driver’s license testing, and inefficiencies in the eNatis vehicle registry system are significant concerns.
"The replacement and upgrade of the driver’s license card machine have taken several tenders and years to address, but to no avail," said Duvenage.
However, the organisation supports the re-appointment of former Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu.
Duvenage said Mchunu has showed great leadership.
"He is doing a great job in undoing the damage caused by his predecessors, Nomvula Mokonyane and Lindiwe Sisulu. We commend Minister Mchunu for his efforts, proactive approach, and leadership. He has made significant strides in managing water resources, and replacing him would definitely be a setback for the department."
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