Understanding "Cadre Deployment" Debate in South Africa

Any debates surrounding cadre deployment in South Africa's political landscape are merely distractions, taking attention away from more critical issues. This point was emphasized recently in a report debunking misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding this standard practice in multi-party democracies.

Cadre deployment refers to the practice where supporters of a prevailing political party are chosen for employment within government institutions. It is a simple concept to understand and assess, but recently has garnered much attention from political parties, notably the Democratic Alliance (DA). However, this outcry is deemed a 'red herring' as the practise occurs across the globe.

Political parties typically consider their most committed supporters, particularly card-carrying members, for deployment. This trend is observable through the examples of John Steenhuisen – a DA cadre who was appointed DA party leader, and Cyril Ramaphosa, who was selected by the African National Congress (ANC) to serve as South Africa's President.

The South African Constitution addresses cadre deployment in sections 197(1) and (3), stipulating that public service must execute government policies faithfully and that no public service employee should be favoured or disadvantaged based on their political affiliation. The Constitution does not deem cadre deployment as illegal; it merely stipulates that party support or affiliation should not be the sole factor in employment decisions.

The reality is that political parties, such as the ANC and the DA, deploy their cadres in various administrative and governmental roles. However, this doesn't mean there's a free-for-all in cadres' deployment. All factors ought to be considered for public service employment beyond mere party association.

The ANC isn't unique in its cadre deployment activities, nor should its supporter placements in government differ from its other political manoeuvrings. All parties, including the DA and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), have internal processes serving similar purposes.

An effective cadre deployment evaluation method requires the intersection of governing parties' verified membership lists with the catalogue of all public sector employees. This assessment could be conducted by appropriate Chapter 9 institutions, contributing significantly to revealing political red herrings.