The ANC-in-government has repeatedly shown that it is unable to manage complex systems and cannot be trusted with public money. The evidence for that is overwhelming, writes Pieter du Toit.
On the opening day of the ANC's national conference at Nasrec in December 2017, the Presidency unexpectedly issued a statement declaring that the government had decided to move forward with the implementation of free tertiary education for all.
The announcement caught everyone by surprise, not least the department of higher education, and university vice-chancellors. But the statement by Jacob Zuma, who while ANC leader and head of state was the linchpin in a statewide network of patronage and corruption, was meant solely as a strategic ploy to influence the party's leadership election. There was no supporting legislative or administrative framework for the plan, nor had the financial implications been analysed.