Speaker, Mr President, Mr Deputy President, hon members, it is, of course, ironic that the two virgin Ministries whose purpose it is to enhance, through planning, monitoring and evaluation, the building of what Joel Netshitenzhe calls a "capable state" are themselves victim to the same logic that makes our state bureaucracy so slow and unresponsive. It took a full year to put the National Planning Commission together. The celebrated ministerial performance agreements were signed at the beginning of May this year, a full year since President Zuma assumed office.
Allow me to make a few points directed at Minister Collins Chabane's new Ministry. Firstly, a great deal was made of how the Zuma government desired to be moved by performance. [Interjections.] Yet, it is unclear ... [Interjections.] ... how the best people for the jobs at the highest level are to be appointed to ensure that things get done. The boundaries between excellence and mediocrity are, at best, shadowy, aggravated by executive vacillation.
Secondly, the principal vehicle of ministerial performance accountability, the performance agreements or contracts, have taken a full year to come to conclusion, as I've said. It turns out, too, that Ministers set their own targets, which, of course, defeats the purpose of the exercise. Those who desire little more than enjoying the comforts of office instead of experiencing the inner joy of a job well done may rest assured of the uninterrupted indulgence of the ministerial lifestyle.
Thirdly, President Jacob Zuma promised that Ministers who do not exert themselves would be shown the door. No-one has been shown the door, despite the fact that some are in no great hurry to get the job done. [Interjections.] Minister Collins Chabane once made the fatuous point ...