Blade Nzimande - A Man Out Of His Depth

There are calls for Blade Nzimande's resignation as minister of higher education. I don't have a dog in this fight,  nor do I have any 'delusions of grandeur' for the cabinet post, should Nzimande be given his marching orders. That being so, I offer my unbiased truncated take on Nzimande's continuing fitness for office. 

In any objective assessment of an individual's fitness for a particular office, a review of that person's background is necessary. 

The minister earned a PhD in philosophy from the University of Natal, with emphasis in sociology.  Prima facie the minister was no academic slouch, armed with credentials for a successful future. 

Besides a stint as a lecturer, the minister became increasingly involved in the trade union movement, and a dedicated member of the Communist Party, serving as its general secretary. 

Blade Nzimanda's role as minister of higher education, is, however, a whole new kettle of fish: he is in the eye of the country's first season's tertiary education hurricane.  He is battered and bruised, and out of his depth. He blames university vice chancellors for the fee crisis, and accepts no responsibility, in step with an endless line of spineless politicians. 

The chaos that we witnessed did not spontaneously happen - Nzimande was aware of heightening student discontent, and chose to ignore it.  Moreover, he was duty bound to implement  recommendations of a 2012 higher education report, and failed to do so.  In addition, his handling of the protests was amateurish, insensitive to student needs, underscored by a paralysing detachment to the enormity of the crisis. 

No matter how one views Nzimande's  performance, his fate will likely be sealed as the fall guy.  On balance, this is not a train wreck, because as it turns out, he is not the sharpest blade in the drawer.