Clueless chiefs of staff expose the gatekeeping crisis in SA

THE appointment of a 22-year-old with no track record to the role of Chief of Staff in Minister Sisisi Tolashe’s Social Development office is not merely a footnote in our unfolding political theatre. It is a glaring symptom of a much deeper malaise. A system in which key strategic positions are treated as political spoils rather than vital levers of governance.

- NCO DUBE

When Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi told Parliament’s Ad-Hoc Committee that on-leave Police Minister Senzo Mchunu’s own Chief of Staff, Cedrick Nkabinde, “had no clue” what his job entailed, he punctured the illusion that chiefs of staff are always the consummate operators behind the scenes. Instead, we see a growing parade of ill-prepared gatekeepers who wield enormous influence without having earned the right or acquired the skills to do so.

Chiefs of staff occupy one of the most critical roles in any political office. They are the ultimate gatekeepers, filtering information, coordinating policy decisions, managing crises, and ensuring that the political principal’s agenda is translated into action.

Internationally, these roles are filled by seasoned operatives with deep experience in administration, policy formulation, stakeholder engagement and crisis management. In Washington, London or Berlin, chiefs of staff are the right hands of prime ministers and presidents; they move seamlessly between Cabinet committees, diplomatic channels and parliamentary debates. They command respect from career officials and private-sector partners alike.

By contrast, in South Africa, too many chiefs of staff are political appointments first and administrators second. The Sisisi Tolashe Chief of Staff scandal is the latest example of this trend. A barely qualified 22-year-old with no prior government or policy experience was parachuted into one of the most demanding supporting roles in the executive branch.