Two weeks ago, the Matekane cabinet went on a “retreat.” Officially, it was about assessing their performance. In reality, it looked more like a self-admiration club than a genuine review. I’ve watched enough governments to know that when politicians start grading their own work, the outcome is almost always glowing. Who ever fails themselves, after all?
Perhaps they meant well. Maybe they wanted a quiet space to reflect, far from the daily noise. But then again, why not invite independent experts, economists, policy analysts, even Parliament’s oversight committees to assess the data fairly? You cannot expect honesty when the same people who make the mistakes are also the ones writing the report. It reminded me, frankly, of Idi Amin’s style of governance: everything done within a closed circle, applause mandatory.
And that’s what bothers me. We keep seeing a pattern of showmanship rather than self-correction. The country is sinking under delayed projects, a shrinking economy, and institutions gasping for air. Yet the people in charge still find time to pat themselves on the back. It feels detached. Almost surreal.
I think what disappointed me most is how ordinary this has become. The Prime Minister once promised to bring a new kind of discipline to government, a corporate mindset. But any serious businessperson knows you don’t evaluate your own performance without outside auditors. You don’t declare success until the numbers say so. If Matekane’s government truly believed in accountability, they would have welcomed that external scrutiny. Instead, we got staged optimism.
Still, maybe it’s not all bad. Maybe a retreat, even one that leans too far into self-praise, is better than no reflection at all. But the danger lies in believing your own narrative. Because once leaders start believing they’re doing fine, the rest of us stop existing in their mirror.
