The crisis involving former social development minister Sisisi Tolashe could not have come at a worse time for the ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
It has reinforced many of the criticisms that continue to erode the party’s standing in society.
This comes at a moment when the ANC is trying to rebuild public trust, reconnect with frustrated voters and recover from its electoral decline.
For Ramaphosa, the Tolashe saga was a direct challenge of his leadership.
He has been working at restoring the credibility of public institutions after the era of state capture.
Failing to act against her would have undermined his efforts.
It would have also strengthened the criticisms that the ANC talks about renewal while continuing to tolerate unethical behaviour and mediocrity in cabinet when it suits its internal party interests.
So, he needed to demonstrate that there are limits to what can be politically defended.
He had several options, though, at his disposal.
He could have opted to suspend Tolashe pending investigation, give her a formal warning or move her to another role.
Admirably, the president chose a more decisive course of action by firing her from office.
Granted, his decision may also have been shaped by limited political space to manoeuvre, given that opposition parties had already called for Tolashe’s dismissal.
Moreover, with local government elections on the horizon, Tolashe’s presence could be a costly liability and lethal campaign ammunition against the ANC.
Voters now are restless, demanding competence, accountability and ethical leadership.
They want a government that is committed to fixing the country’s problems, not leaders who put themselves and their families first.
Her ethical judgment and emotional intelligence should have guided her away from this pattern of poor decision-making
If Tolashe’s actions had been limited to a single lapse in judgment, they might have been easier to understand.
After all, leaders are human and fallible.
However, hers was not an isolated incident. It developed into a pattern of conduct marked by embarrassing episodes, reputational damage and growing public concern, ultimately raising serious questions about her suitability for leadership.
Her ethical judgment and emotional intelligence should have guided her away from this pattern of poor decision-making.
Her saga has now reignited the controversy around the practice of cadre deployment.
Critics have long argued that the ANC uses it to reward internal loyalty and manage factional interests, often at the expense of competence and ethical leadership.
Whether or not this view is fair, it remains a politically damaging perception, which the Tolashe crisis now reinforces.
It suggests that three decades into democracy, the ANC still struggles to consistently prioritise competence, capability and credibility in its government appointments.
Had the party rigorously applied its own “Eye of the Needle” guidelines in selecting leaders and public officials, it is unlikely Tolashe or many others now occupying key positions would have made the cut.
You only need to look at the Madlanga commission to see the damage caused by appointing incapable individuals.
Many municipal failures stem from deploying people who lack the necessary skills, but are appointed primarily for political loyalty or seniority within the ANC.
The issue is not that ANC members serve in government, but that competence is too often sacrificed for factional interests and cadre deployment.
No society can thrive when mediocrity is protected because of political connections.
SA does not need loyalists without capability.
Political loyalty or seniority alone cannot be the primary qualification for running a modern state.
A country as complex as SA requires the best available skills, experience and ethical leadership, wherever they may be found.
It is unrealistic to assume that every ANC cadre inherently possesses the expertise needed to manage critical institutions, grow the economy, repair infrastructure, improve education, strengthen health care or rebuild public confidence in the government.
SA’s future cannot be limited to the talent pool of a single organisation.
Across all sectors, there are capable South Africans with proven experience who can contribute meaningfully to rebuilding this country.
Citizens should not feel compelled to accept poor or unethical leadership while more qualified and capable individuals are overlooked for political convenience.
Such approach weakens government and ultimately harms the people it is meant to serve.
The reality the ANC must urgently wake up to is that it does not have the political luxury of scoring silly own goals.
Voters judge the party not by its liberation legacy, but by the lived realities of governance and the performance of public officials such as Tolashe.
Every scandal now carries electoral consequences, and each questionable appointment becomes a test of the party’s credibility.
Failure to act decisively only deepens the perception that the ANC has not fully grasped the gravity of its declining support.
Thami Dickson, media professional and commentator on African affairs.
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