Deputy loses faith in Faith, goes it alone

Communications Minister Faith Muthambi and her deputy, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, are locked in a turf war that has exposed further cracks in President Jacob Zuma's administration.

The Sunday Times can disclose that Ndabeni-Abrahams has reported Muthambi to Zuma for sidelining her and treating her "like a PA".

Internal documents seen by the Sunday Times show how Muthambi wanted to move the approval of trips undertaken by Ndabeni-Abrahams to the minister's office.

She also instructed department officials to ensure that Ndabeni-Abrahams's office got funding for programmes that related only to the mandate of the department.

Ndabeni-Abrahams confirmed that she and Muthambi had "no working relationship".

"The only thing I can do if we don't have a relationship is to talk to the appointing authority. Yes, I did write to the appointing authority; I have just written today [Friday]," she said..

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"Ever since we were appointed, we've never had a relationship. She says she felt like she had too much energy, that she can do everything by herself ... I assume that's how she felt."

The deputy minister said she repeatedly tried to reach out to Muthambi, but the minister continued to sideline her by not involving her in department programmes.

"She just believes that she's equivalent to the appointing authority, [that] she's the president. I guess that's the only person who can do that.

"She's forgotten that the president appointed me as well. I am not a PA," said a seething Ndabeni-Abrahams.

The feud between the two is further evidence that Zuma's administration is in crisis.

A few months ago ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told the Sunday Times that Zuma's cabinet was almost dysfunctional. This was after Co-operative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen publicly attacked Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

In official correspondence seen by the Sunday Times, officials are instructed to ensure that all Ndabeni-Abrahams's itineraries and travel arrangements for 2017 are approved by Muthambi.

"That's what's triggered me to write to the appointing authority," said Ndabeni-Abrahams.

Those with intimate knowledge of the matter said this was Muthambi's way of trying to rein in Ndabeni-Abrahams, who had found ways of running her own initiatives with external stakeholders because Muthambi was refusing to involve her in the department's work.

Ndabeni-Abrahams also resolved to stop attending government events involving Muthambi and she even refused to take part in the department's budget vote in parliament in June because she had not been involved in its crafting.

"I debated in 2014, I debated in 2015, but this year I said no. Who would not be stressed by this?" she said.

The Department of Communications has been described as a "shambles" under Muthambi.

It has failed to appoint a full-time director-general and another director-general for its media relations and communications agency, the Government Communication and Information System.

Disgruntled senior staff at the department were quitting, with the latest being a deputy director-general, Harold Maloka, whose resignation had been kept under wraps.

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Ndabeni-Abrahams has been deputy minister since 2011, while Muthambi joined the cabinet in 2014.

A spokesman for Muthambi, Ayanda Hollow, said the minister had delegated three responsibilities to her deputy: the transformation of print media, commissioning government content for the SABC, and managing the relationship between the department and the radio sector.

He said Muthambi had to approve Ndabeni-Abrahams's travel to "monitor effective financial controls".

Other ministers believed to be at odds with their deputies include Justice Minister Michael Masutha and his deputy, Thabang Makwetla.

The deputy minister is also said to have decided not to take part in the budget vote of the Department of Correctional Services this year because he felt sidelined by Masutha.

The minister said, however: "At a personal level there's never been any tension between us." His deputy had raised "certain administrative issues" and these were resolved. Masutha said.

Makwetla's spokesman said the deputy minister's absence at the budget vote had nothing to do with his relationship with Masutha, which was "working perfectly".

"The deputy minister had a problem with the department because it was not performing. He felt it would be a dereliction of duty on his part to go in front of parliament to go and account for things [that] had not been delivered."