By all accounts and despite the unwarranted setbacks, the politician and cabinet minister has scored many significant goals in his political life, writes Lebo Keswa.
Johannesburg - Malusi Gigaba, the charming and erudite new minister of finance, has had his fair share of the political and social whirlwinds of the body politic in his previous portfolio.
The visa wars and the nasty social media wrangling involving a disgruntled mistress have sought to dampen what is increasingly proving to be an illustrious career and track record in his visionary leadership and politics.
By all accounts and despite the unwarranted setbacks, the 45-year-old politician and cabinet minister has scored many significant goals in his political life and the pursuit of his personal ambition.
Hailing from the plains of Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal and a son of an Anglican priest, Gigaba cut his political teeth in the youth and student structures aligned to the ANC. In 1996, he was elected president of the ANC Youth League, becoming its first president to be elected for three consecutive terms.
It was during his presidency that his prowess in policy debates and visionary leadership blossomed, prompting the then-president, Thabo Mbeki, to appoint him as the deputy minister of home affairs in 2004.
Since then, Gigaba’s star – as a member of the executive and a leader of the ANC and society – has risen significantly.
His political career has been both a blessing and a curse for global, continental and local spheres of government and society.
In addition to Gigaba’s own visa regulation woes, which earned the unenviable label of contributing to the worst economic downslide in history, South Africa has endured a tumultuous time of social unrest, political instability and economic downturns.
During the 2015/16 fiscal year, government debt increased to nearly 50% of GDP. Although almost under control, the Eskom crisis threatened to weaken major sectors in production and manufacturing of goods. The rand lost more than 22% of its value in a single year, and interest rates have been rising despite the slow economic growth.
Add this to the scandal surrounding the ousting of former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene and the recent controversy over the cabinet reshuffle and the subsequent further weakening of the currency and credit downgrades, it is clear that Gigaba’s new job is a poisoned chalice.
In the midst of these adversities, bold and visionary leadership is not only a must but a necessary precondition for the survival of a country and its people.
When the South African government took an about-turn and succumbed to societal pressure on the visa regulations, such a tough stance could have dented the self-image of a fragile leader.
It was not to be with Gigaba, who took the withdrawal decision in his stride and aptly displayed the traits described by the African author and intellectual, Ben Okri: “Adversity wakes us up. It reminds us of not who we think we are in our vanity, but who we really are in our simplicity” (A Time for New Dreams, 2011).
Gigaba did not only move on, but ventured to steer yet another juggernaut in his demanding portfolio – the international migration policy of South Africa. Here, he has not missed an opportunity to emphasise the need for social cohesion and for South Africa to shape up in attracting foreign skills and capabilities.
Speaking at the international students’ dialogue about efficiency in issuing study visas, Gigaba invited the international students to engage openly with Home Affairs. “When you work for Home Affairs, you quickly develop a thick skin, and you don’t need to worry about our feelings. We want to hear your concerns,” he said.
Earlier in the year, when the country was faced with a renewed catastrophe of xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals, Gigaba galvanised his team to expedite the process of finalising the international migration policy so as to alleviate the problem of illegal migrants. He condemned the attacks, asserting that most foreign nationals had a significant contribution to make.
To his credit, the violence, especially in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng, subsided after he vowed to “end all acts that seek to plunge our country into anarchy”.
His overtures to bring together Africans and other nationalities of foreign origin to a peaceful and resourceful coexistence in the country saw the emergence of a new term: “a New South African”. “Where previously our discourse on what has been called the ‘national question’ was about uniting Africans, coloureds, Indians and whites, it now must expand to include visitors to our country and New South Africans from all over the African continent and the world.”
This attests to a visionary leadership that sees opportunity beyond the confines of our narrow borders.
Home Affairs has also seen cutting-edge strategies and campaigns in 2015 aimed at both combating the endemic corruption in the system and the provision of alternative channels for servicing its clients and introducing enduring efficiencies in the system.
When he launched the pilot project of the smart ID with the two prominent banks in the country, Standard Bank and FNB, a renewed hope in service provision was kindled in all South African citizens.
Other initiatives undertaken this year, including the long overdue fixing of the National Population Register and operation Bvisa Masina (“throw out the rot”) have all been pet subjects of Gigaba.
As the minister himself has asserted on several occasions, the road is long and winding, with huge responsibility. He inspires confidence for such a huge responsibility of managing all aspects of citizens in a country such as ours. An energetic leader and minister who inspires confidence and who is not afraid to make decisions is required to steer the ship in such stormy waters. The stakeholders and fraternal organisations in the portfolio have praised Gigaba’s openness and exuberance of personality in dealing with issues that affect people in his portfolio.
Although 2015 had its downturns, a fair verdict would be that the minister has accorded himself with zeal and dexterity in his role.
It is my considered view that Gigaba having been one of the few current national executive committee members, other than President Jacob Zuma, who have been there since the Mandela era in different capacities, is a political figure to watch. He is one of the few who could be called upon soon to give the ANC the necessary youthful appeal at the highest levels of government.
It is fair to say of all the former presidents of the ANC Youth League deployed into the government, he is one to be rated highly in terms of effectiveness and future potential.
Whether it was too early to make him a finance minister, time will tell. A lot of people believe that he will be out of his depth on the finance portfolio. This, however, will be to disregard his potential and track record. He has two years to prove himself before a new head of state has to pick his new finance minister.
Ahead of this year’s conference, Gigaba has a lot to do in order to maintain the top spot in the national executive committee which he got at the Mangaung conference of the ANC. The Home Affairs Ministry has certainly prepared him for the eye of the storm he is in now.
* Keswa is a businesswoman and writes in her personal capacity. Twitter:
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.