SA cabinet out-of-sync with the law

In a disturbing echo of past power struggles during the Covid era, South Africa faces a critical juncture as legislative powers are wielded recklessly, reminiscent of a bygone autocratic era. With an unstable presidency and a complex alliance between the ANC, SACP, and COSATU, a rush to pass controversial legislation before an imminent election has ensued. Opposition voices are stifled as the National Health Insurance Bill and a slew of others move through Parliament, raising concerns about the erosion of democracy and a potential form of legislative state capture. Minister Gwede Mantashe’s recent energy-related move further exemplifies the autocratic tendencies at play. As the sixth Parliament races towards closure, the looming threat to the ANC’s majority may paradoxically offer a chance for Parliament’s salvation, ushering in an era of increased transparency and accountability.

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SA cabinet out-of-sync with the law

Ministers playing with ConCourt findings, ignoring Treasury

By Patrick McLaughlin*

In a disconcerting déjàvu, reminiscent of those awful times during the Covid era when under Nkosazana Zuma the country was seemingly run as a power grab and any oversight by Parliament forgotten, South Africa finds itself back at the same critical juncture where legislative powers are being wielded without care or thought and the separation of powers audaciously ignored.

How closely we have got, just before an election, to the same perilous state is quite shocking but this time we have arrived by a different route.  With an unstable presidency endlessly stitching together the complicated alliance between the ANC, SACP and COSATU, leftish thinkers amongst them continue to push for their new socialist order whilst others try to rebuild a badly stained reputation. All three have now instigated a frenzied rush to push through Parliament any amount of contentious legislation before the political landscape shifts.