Let the hard work begin: Party rivalry In GNU Can benefit Mzansi
Our Government of National Unity is out of the starting blocks and trotting along, heading for the straight.
It’s the straight that will test their mettle most, where we will be able to see if their actions match their election promises.
The problem is that this is not a smooth straight. It’s more like a cross-country race that will include all manner of hurdles, handicaps and hazards to negotiate.
There are ten parties participating in minister and deputy minister positions, and they will want to influence policy to justify their decision to join.
Each will be looking out for themselves and their party’s manifestos, but the hope is that they will put the will of the people first.
So far the limelight was grabbed by Pieter Groenewald and Gayton McKenzie.
As leader of the Freedom Front Plus, the former is now the Minister of Correctional Services.
He surely would’ve won over a few naysayers when he suggested that we save some taxpayers money by getting prisoners to farm their own food.
For the average citizen, the idea that we fund the lazy imprisoned lives of criminals who terrorise us on the outside, is a bitter pill to swallow.
Suggesting that they work for at least some of their own upkeep, would have scored Pieter a good couple of brownie points, even among those who abhor the ideologies of the FF+.
As our new Sports Minister, Gayton pledged his entire R2.5 million annual salary to the Joshlin Smith Foundation for Missing Children.
Firstly, this must be applauded. It also proves my previous statement wrong, when I wondered how long the Joshlin mystery would stay on Gayton’s radar, after he got elected.
I am happy to admit that my cynicism was misplaced.
Of course we need to keep our eye on the foundation itself, because there have been dozens of past stories about how charity funds are abused and misused by those in charge.
But for now, this is both an awesome gesture of altruism, but also a PR master class lesson in how to boost your own popularity.
All of this proves a point I made in last week’s column, that being part of the GNU gives opposition parties a chance to effect change from the inside.
In doing so, they would be able to brag to their voters about their achievements, which will stand them in good stead come the next elections.
But the first horses out of the gates aren’t necessarily the ones to watch.
Some commentators say that some of the split portfolios are unnecessary duds with which nothing can be done. But I beg to differ.
For example, this is an opportunity for the DA to show us what they can do with the portfolios of Agriculture, Basic Education, Home Affairs, Communication and Digital Technologies, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Public Works and Infrastructure.
The PAC can transform Land Reform and Rural Development, while the IFP can deal with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, as well as Public Service and Administration.
But with the good comes the bad, and they will have to accept the criticism for any of their failures.
Gayton can make huge strides with his Sports, Arts and Culture portfolio. These are industries in desperate need of attention, especially in the demographic that he represents.
There is massive potential for job creation and opportunities to advance the natural talents that exist in our communities.
As we see actors falling on hard times and TV shows being cancelled, the creative arts are being decimated.
I have written many pieces about young people struggling to raise funds to represent South Africa overseas in their chosen sporting disciplines.
This is a portfolio that can chip away at our crime pandemic, gangsterism, youth self-esteem and sedentary lifestyles that lead to obesity.
If Gayton whips his ministry into shape, he can make a great impact on society that will pay off over many generations.
But there are conditions. I read recently that good leadership looks and sounds boring.
Effective leaders are seldom charming and charismatic, with a few exceptions. In fact, many of them can hardly string two sentences together.
They quietly simply just get on with the job, have a dry wit that is often hit and miss, and if they weren’t the leader, nobody would notice them entering a room.
I can see how charisma can be used as a tool to camouflage ineptitude.
If you have the gift-of-the-gab, you can easily fool people into believing that you know what you’re talking about. Ardent supporters are especially susceptible to this.
So keep an eye on the unassuming ones, like the GOOD Party’s Patricia de Lille, who keeps her Minister of Tourism job.
Like I said last week, this competition to outdo each other in the eyes of the public will eventually benefit us all.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za