Kubayi-Ngubane does not inspire confidence

SO our bright spark of an acting Health minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubani, who was has been out of her depth in her tourism portfolio so far, now is juggling with another one.

And this one is the most important portfolios, especially during this perilous, precarious and uncertain time of a pandemic. With no previous medical experience, exposure or qualification our president decided, surprise surprise, and appointed her!

During her interview with Mpho Sithole the other day, my jaw dropped to the floor at her sheer arrogance, self-importance and egotism when she came up with some words of wisdom of her own, answering as she was scrutinised for her work, which is currently the subject of enormous discontent as tourism minister. So she went ahead and pronounced: “Let my work speak for me.”

Really, what work?

Then later on she said,” I fit here because I read a lot.”

Wow, what a profound statement because she knows that a lot of her colleagues in Parliament cannot even read. So by now, she is probably opening a medical dictionary to find the meaning of the word “pandemic” being a Greek compound/ composite word meaning pan = all-inclusive and demos = people. As all medical terms are either of Greek and Latin origins she may have a hell of a time to read and understand text even if she is good at reading. Probably she was referring to reading text on her WhatsApp. As for her “pearl” of wisdom, that her work speaks for her, God forbid.

She didn’t have a stellar performance wherever she was placed and hardly inspired any praise when in less than two years in 2017/2018 she was bounced/shuffled around to three different ministries.

Except of course she ruffled feathers and got a lot of condemnation when she showed her racist streak last year when she decided that only blackowned companies would get the government “relief fund” to survive during the first and second waves of the pandemic. On that, she was taken to court and she lost and had to do an about-turn.

Then recently a bright idea of a cook-off in a restaurant with a media personality, someone called Somizi Mhlongo, to promote “township tourism”.

Is she okay up there? For all of her idiotic moves, I don’t give a hoot, as long as she will not prioritise “blacks only for vaccines” as she has done with the relief fund.

JEAN MICHEL BOUVIER | Bryanston