Cabinet reshuffle

Janine Myburgh, president, Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The latest cabinet reshuffle by President Jacob Zuma is bad for South Africa and bad for governance.

This means we have now had three ministers of energy in a single year in a department that should be all about long-term planning.

The only possible explanation is sinister. We have seen too many strange and irrational deals in the energy sector to believe anything else.

The dramatic change comes at a time when Eskom is refusing to sign agreements with independent power producers and the Russian nuclear deal seems to be on again, despite its rejection by the courts and the country’s energy experts. President Putin, of Russia, clearly has more influence on President Zuma than the respectable old guard of the ANC.

The other cabinet changes are about the president’s bid to retain power and to avenge those who have supported calls for his resignation. They have nothing to do with governance.

It is interesting to see that the changes mean that strong Zuma supporters are being placed in key areas such as state security, home affairs and communications (where we also have the third minister in a year). Other key areas like the treasury and the police were captured in the previous reshuffle.

It is already clear that the nuclear deal will bankrupt the country but it seems that the president does not care.

This latest reshuffle is all about President Zuma.

He is putting his own personal interests before the country, the economy and the poor.