ANDILE KHUMALO: Power play of ministers behind DG bloodbath
“It appears the only difference between the early 1990s and present South Africa is the reversed roles”
The high turnover of directors-general in government has again reared its ugly head, with at least three department heads recently being dismissed or suspended under dubious circumstances. This week, water and sanitation director-general Gorbachev Mashitisho was suspended, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries did the same with Mike Mlengana, and South African Social Security Agency CEO Thokozani Magwaza's contract was abruptly terminated. This has raised the ire of the standing committee on public accounts, a parliamentary watchdog for public finances, and the Public Service Commission, the custodian of good governance in the civil service. This is because the suspensions are, in the main, linked to procurement scandals, and undermine the fight against corruption and destabilise service delivery. The debate over the relationship between DGs — the accounting officers in departments — and their political bosses is not new, but the history of the problem is not well do...
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