One person on the move is Department of Communications DG Lyndall Shope-Mafole, who has shown that she at least has the good sense to back the right horse.
Her election to the ANC's National Executive Committee, under the new Zuma regime, has now led to her appointment as chairman of the ANC's sub-committee on political education and ideological work.
Now terms like "political education and ideological work" make me uncomfortable - they not only conjure up images of political indoctrination and brainwashing, but also of Soviet-style gulag re-education programmes.
Shope-Mafole's appointment to the brainwashing committee is also not without historical parallels, coming amid a political purge that uncannily resembles Stalin's elimination of old-guard Bolsheviks from the Communist party in the 1930s. I do suspect, however, that Mbeki loyalists are unlikely to suffer the heavy-handed tactics of the Stalin regime. Many deemed as "enemies of the people" were either executed or indeed sent to "corrective" Gulag labour camps.
I can almost hear the ANC's former head brainwasher, Joel Nitshitenze, breathing a sigh of relief. Ironically, or perhaps not, Nitshitenze was also the government's spokesman.
Well, I expect that the Cuba-educated Shope-Mafole will do a fine job as re-educator, and it remains to be seen how this affects the country's communications landscape.
Now, all together Comrades: "There is no electricity crisis in the Great and Glorious Republic of South Africa!"
The Infraco mystery
Terms like "political education and ideological work" make me uncomfortable - they not only conjure up images of political indoctrination and brainwashing, but also of Soviet-style gulag re-education programmes.
Martin Czernowalow, news editor, ITWeb
Sticking with things political, Thabo Mbeki seems to be scrambling to tick a few items off his to-do list before his inevitable trip to the Gulag. His hasty signing of the Electronic Communications Amendment Act of 2007 and the Broadband Infraco Act of 2007, before the opening of Parliament, has raised some eyebrows.
These laws clear the way for the state broadband provider to be licensed and begin operating to full capacity. Interestingly, suspicions abound that Infraco has no real plan of action, so it remains a mystery what its exact role is going to be within the local telecoms market, or when this role will be finalised.
Perhaps the rush was prompted by the fact that most of the key players in Infraco, such as public enterprises minister Alec Erwin, have not cracked the nod from the ANC's new leadership. This means their days are numbered.
I supposed retired, or ousted, politicians have to live off something...
Poor Mavuso
Anyone who has any knowledge about the pitiful state of the Department of Home Affairs must surely take their hat off to DG Mavuso Msimang.
After successfully leading the State IT Agency for a few years, Msimang resigned from his cushy job and decided to tackle another challenge. A lesser man may have given up, but Mavuso is no lesser man.
He rules, what he described as one of the "most dysfunctional" government departments, with and iron fist. Many a head has already rolled as Mavuso stamps out corruption and incompetence, and one gets the feeling that he's just getting started.
But, alas, I fear Mavuso could soon find it can get pretty lonely at the top. Just recently, the fearless leader had police arrest three more of his officials for fraud and corruption. I say more, because until now, over 200 people have been either dismissed, criminally charged or are awaiting disciplinary action. Impressive.
This is probably more people than the entire SAPS managed to put away during the past year.
Of course, the danger is that Mavuso could eventually be last man standing at Home Affairs. Literally.
After all, we are talking fraud and corruption here. Not many are expected to survive. It's tough to be Mavuso.
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