adminsaid of her becoming the woman-on-top (whatever that means), a Sadc victory or whatever can be said of the close contest in which she bettered incumbent Jean Ping, the fact is that she becomes an African civil servant — a civil servant for all 54 nations.
This is no more evident in that she will have to shift base to the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, leaving her home, and probably her current post in the South African government.
A civil servant is best noted, or suited, for being a technocrat.
Dhlamini-Zuma is one technocrat who has been credited with turning around the fortunes of her Home Affairs ministry.
This said, a technocrat should rise above the animosity or regionalities that characterised the race to landing the post.
Countries could be as petty and self-centred — like Kenya, for example, vying for Jean Ping because it would mean that a Kenyan would remain vice chair. East Africa, like Southern Africa, had perceivably been sidelined at the AU.
One way to make sure work is conducted professionally and technically is simply to look at the brief of the Commission itself.
The Commission is the Secretariat of the Union entrusted with executive functions.
It is composed of 10 officials: a chairperson, a deputy chairperson; eight commissioners and staff members.
The structure represents the Union and protects its interest under the auspices of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government as well as the Executive Committee.
The AU Commission is made up of Portfolios of Peace and Security; Political Affairs; Trade and Industry; Infrastructure and Energy; Social Affairs; Rural Economy and Agriculture; Human Resources, Science and Technology; and Economic Affairs.
The mission of the Commission is “An efficient and value-adding institution driving the African integration and development process in close collaboration with African Union Member States, the Regional Economic Communities and African citizens”.
The values to guide and govern the functioning and operations of the Commission are:
- Respect for diversity and team work;
- Think Africa above all;
- Transparency and accountability;
- Integrity and impartiality;
- Efficiency and professionalism; and
- Information and knowledge sharing.
This is what Dlamini-Zuma will be judged on.
Will she be South African first and the rest second — taking instructions from Pretoria rather than responding to the needs of the continent in general?
This is one area that some quarters have not been comfortable with, hence the so-called unwritten rule that the so-called powerhouses should not take such crucial posts.
With South Africa having been caught in such imbroglios as the Libyan affair, taking instructions from the often bungle-then-regret-later Pretoria could be tricky business.
If Jean Ping was accused of taking instructions from France, and of trying to make the commission a predominantly Francophone outfit, will the Iron Lady turn around and simply Anglicise the institution or she will be inclusive?
Diversity is one of the tenets of the job and the continent must feel ownership of the body.
It will also be such a sad day should the commission continue to be an apparent one-man show.
Will anybody stand up and say who else they knew of the commission save for Mr Ping?
The post is a powerful one and power is known to corrupt, especially when it gets to the head.
That the AU Commission has been seen to ignore the AU assembly, as in Libya, adds to the very tricky business that the commission is.
While the continent’s troubles — from coups to the instability in Somalia — are not hers to take on, she will be tasked to co-ordinate meetings on the continent’s niggling issues and implement the continent’s decisions.
Implementation is key.
Many times people have dismissed the AU and even regional blocs as incessant talk shops.
What makes a good leader and technocrat is the ability to operationalise the talk into something tangible.
Again, at the end of her term, Dlamini-Zuma will have to checklist on this.
With issues of funding bedevilling the AU commission, leading to it being externally sponsored and so driven, it will be a challenge how Dlamini-Zuma mobilises resources for the day-to-day running of the AU. Will the Commission look elsewhere for a donor and be so indebted thereto as such Ping was accused of France? But then, as has been reported in some sections, the AU Commission has been inefficient — woefully so.
And this is even when the resources — wherever they come from — are there.
One report cites a “scathing” 2007 audit of the AU which uncovered massive underspending — of up to 90 percent — by some directorates and showed that only half of the tasks approved by the AU were implemented, and almost half of its posts were unfilled.
The report also says that the commission has also struggled to establish its independence with many of administrators showing greater allegiance to their own countries than to the AU commissioner.
Online Reporter