David Van Rooyen was appointed the Minister of Finance by President Jacob Zuma on 9 December 2015 after the removal of Nhlanhla Nene from the position. Van Rooyen was sworn in the next day, beginning his time in office.
President Jacob Zuma reversed his decision late on 13 December 2015 when he announced that Van Rooyen would switch positions with then Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Pravin Gordhan.
Redi Tlhabi wrote a column in The Sunday Times (27 Dec 2015) about Van Rooyen's appointment.
Jason Lloyd responds with an Open Letter to Redi Tlhabi regarding her Sunday Times column (Impetuous president fails to put SA first).
Dear Redi
As is customary I read your column in today's edition of the Sunday Times. Useful and thought-provoking as it can be. I must say I regard you as a noteworthy intellectual expression in our quest in search of much needed answers to our shared daily challenges.
As a person who frequently lays hands on the art of column writing, I fully support columnists who freely express outrageous opinions, which is, after all a constitutional imperative. You are calculated amongst those.
However, I have a dispute with you and other opinion makers who are obsessed with David van Rooyen. The only – for a lack of a better word – "immorality" the man committed was his acceptance of his appointment to the post of Finance Minister. Seemingly, no you already have, joined the choir who chanted and is still singing hymns which say Van Rooyen is not knowledgeable to hold any cabinet position. Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs included.
Where is the evidence which suggests his incompetence? Remember, similar melodies were sung when Nelson Mandela appointed Trevor Manuel in 1996. No need to bigmouth you with Manuel's blameless performance.
In a public letter to Minister Lindiwe Zulu published in City Press (20 Dec 2015) last week, Manuel mentioned one authenticity when it comes to the appointment of cabinet ministers. He mentioned: "(...) the position of ministerial advisers is used to help bridge the divide in skills between a minister and his or department".
Why would the consideration of skills with the appointment of David van Rooyen be any different? Why would David van Rooyen be the only one person who is subjected to the (unwritten) skills (?) produced by those who seemingly know better and regarded him as useless even before he assumed his ministerial duties?
Fact is ministers are politicians and academic qualifications/experience/skills are not prerequisite for appointment to cabinet. Our narrative should be about issues of national importance; not about (political) personalities.
Please, refrain from this insignificant (political) writing/commentary/analysis. It is petty, to say the least.
Sincere regards
Jason Lloyd
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