Rob Hersov argues that the ANC's cadre deployment policy—appointing party loyalists instead of qualified people to state institutions—is illegal and has destroyed South Africa's economy. The Zondo Commission found it a core mechanism of state capture. Eskom, Transnet, SAA, and other state enterprises have collapsed under cadre-appointed leadership, costing billions in corruption and blackouts.
Chapters
I want to talk now about the cost of cadre deployment. South Africa's institutions are in crisis. We know that. And this isn't by accident. It's by design. The ANC has systematically placed loyalty above competence, eroding the very backbone of our democracy. This isn't poor governance. It's a deliberate assault on our future. Cadre or "caida" deployment is the ANC's policy of filling state institutions from state-owned enterprises to local government with party loyalists, not professionals. R.W. Johnson called this out 10 years ago. According to its constitutionally backed deployment committee, positions in key institutions like Treasury, SARS, SAPS, and all the SOEs are assigned based on political loyalty over merit. You get idiots. Instead of professionals. The results from this have been catastrophic, as you all know. Look at Eskom, Transnet, SAA, PRASA, Denel, SABC—all hollowed out, insolvent, and plagued by fraud. The Brent Hurst Foundation lays the blame squarely on cadres installed by the ANC. And the Zondo Commission—remember the Zondo Commission? The Zondo Commission on State Capture confirmed that cadre deployment was a key mechanism enabling corruption and looting under Zuma, the gangster's administration. And in 2023, McKinsey Corporation Africa paid R2 billion, that's about $120 million, in settlements linked to kickbacks at Eskom and Transnet, schemes driven by cadre-installed executives. ANC deluxe. Chief Justice Zondo labeled cadre deployment illegal and unconstitutional, and the commission echoed the DA's call for its abolition. Yet, despite this judicial pushback, the ANC continues defending it in court, stubbornly refusing to allow independent appointments. Every flagging school, broken water system, delayed migrant visa, and non-functional port is a symptom of this ANC cadre-driven decay. And when loyalty outweighs skill, taxpayer money is wasted and the public—you—pay the price. This isn't just Zuma-era drama. Cadre deployment was institutionalised long before 2009, but accelerated under Zuma and remained entrenched under spineless Cyril Ramaphosa. Its effect? A conveyor belt of patronage that undermines the Constitution, erodes institutional integrity, and nurtures systematic corruption. The ANC is corruption. South Africa loses rule of law, quality public service, and our integrity. And cadre deployment isn't abstract. It's the silent engine driving blackouts, failed ports, Rising crime, economic slowdown, but this must end. The solution is clear: merit-based appointments enforced by law. Independent oversight bodies with teeth need to be brought into bear. A review commission needs to be established, not a Cyril Commission, but a proper one, to audit and remove incompetently or illegally appointed cadres. And thanks to the very good work of Leon Schreiber of the DA, we have their names. Our institutions are the backbone of democracy, and the ANC has systematically broken all of them. I'm Rob Hersov, and at Truth Report, we seek institutions that serve the people, not ANC party cronies. If we don't dismantle the cadre system, and fast, we won't reclaim good governance. The time is now for real reform.
