Jobs-for-Comrades Network in Limpopo Public Works

ActionSA condemns the latest display of ANC patronage masquerading as public service in the Limpopo Department of Public Works and Infrastructure under MEC Tony Rachuene.

Images and communications surrounding the issuing of appointment letters to newly appointed employees, alongside an official ANC message congratulating its “comrades” on their appointments, raise deeply troubling questions about whether employment in the public service is being determined by merit or by political allegiance. The state does not belong to the ANC, nor should public employment be treated as a reward for party allegiance or loyalty.

While government has presented the appointment of 140 workers as a step towards building a capable and ethical state, the accompanying political celebration tells an entirely different story and serves to undermine the concept of an “ethical State”. It creates the unmistakable impression that these appointments are being treated as patronage for ANC loyalists rather than the outcome of a fair, transparent and merit-based recruitment process. This kind of political nepotism is a matter that is generally experienced and loathed by  South Africans, especially those trapped in the penury imposed by being unemployed.

At a time when millions of South Africans, particularly young graduates, remain unemployed despite having the necessary qualifications, the public service cannot become a jobs programme for politically connected cadres. Every public sector appointment tainted by perceptions of political favouritism further erodes public confidence in the state and entrenches the very culture of cadre deployment that has hollowed out government institutions across South Africa.

ActionSA calls on the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson to immediately institute an independent investigation into these appointments to determine whether every recruitment process complied fully with the Constitution, the Public Service Act and all applicable recruitment policies. Should any irregularities be uncovered, the appointments must be halted and appropriate action taken against those responsible.

ActionSA Funzi Ngobeni (KZN Provincial Chairperson) Governance Expert: Served as the MMC for Finance in Johannesburg under Mashaba. The Mission: Tasked with growing ActionSA’s footprint in KwaZulu-Natal, a notoriously difficult and contested political landscape.