The Super Cadres: ANC Misrule in the Age of Deployment

by Pieter Du Toit

After taking power, the ANC implemented its policy of cadre deployment. It sought command of all levers of power, from the Cabinet, through the civil service, down to municipal level.
Despite the party recently lasing its majority, cadre deployment will ensure that the ANC maintains its iron grip on power and patronage, and it remains fused with the state.
In The Super Cadres, bestselling author Pieter du Toit exposes how Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki laid the foundation for complete ANC control of the state, how Jacob Zuma's ANC exploited it and why Cyril Ramsphosa is complicit in the destruction that followed.
It is a searing critique of the ANC's desire for untrammelled power.

403 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2024

Reviews

[Lincoln Davids · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Super Cadres is a compelling and well-structured examination of how the ANC and its policies not only solidified the party’s dominance but also entrenched systemic corruption and sanctioned disorder in South Africa post-1994. The book offers a nuanced understanding of the power dynamics within the ANC, as well as between its members and opposition leaders, providing a thorough analysis of cadre deployment and its implications. It delves into a seldom-discussed history—the ANC in exile—and explores its lasting impact on the party. Additionally, the book highlights a recurring pattern among liberation movements in Africa: the loss of direction, internal strife, and the vilification of perceived “enemies,” culminating in a prolonged revolutionary mindset and an inability to govern effectively. I found myself unable to stop reading it