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Daily Maverick
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Letter to Mahlamba Ndlopfu: This is ‘a matter of grave national security concern'
Ah, Chief Dwasaho! I am utterly gobsmacked. The torrent of breaking news keeps splattering our politicians in shades of scandal, casting them as nothing more than imigodoyi — 'useless dogs' — to borrow the loaded phrase our elder statesman, former president Thabo Mbeki, unleashed at the height of the State Capture saga and the grand theatre of Zumanomics. Rich Mashimbye, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation at the University of Johannesburg, decoded Mbeki's biting words in 2023. In essence, Dr Mashimbye argues that imigodoyi denotes ANC cadres as 'people who are essentially criminals and always act in ways intended to advance an agenda rather than for the greater good of society'. Let's rewind the tape to Super Sunday. Enter stage left: KwaZulu-Natal's South African Police Service (SAPS) provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Lucky Mkhwanazi, the man with a gift for deadpan one-liners like 'unfortunately, there's an engagement inside, and a suspect was fatally wounded'. This time, the general wasn't just dropping routine pressers; he was lobbing long-range missiles straight at the political establishment, shaking pillars and ruffling feathers in places where the blue lights shine brightest, yet brown envelopes are hidden in plain sight. As the man of the moment, Mkhwanazi knew that optics are key — and boy, did he command the stage to send a straightforward message to those still clinging to the illusion of being untouchable: your time is up. But Comrade Leadership, let's not kid ourselves; he wasn't just about the optics. Sure, the sight of those men (Special Task Force) kitted out in military fatigues (and not the cheap PEP ones) with balaclavas pulled tight and R5 rifles strapped across their chests would have sent shivers down the spine of even the most tender-loving politician. Clueless analyst Of course, it jolted even a clueless analyst or an apolitical onlooker like me into action as social media platforms went abuzz. I missed the live presser but had to remedy that situation quickly with a double-shot black Americano, two boiled eggs, and two slices of brown toast while glued to the recording on YouTube. The content screamed, in no uncertain terms, 'a matter of grave national security concern'. And let's talk about Mkhwanazi himself. The man's got the gift of the gab, his delivery slow, measured, but slicing through the nonsense like a panga through sugarcane. Honestly, who else rocks up to a press conference armed with an entire PowerPoint presentation? This guy did. Mkhwanazi laid down the law of evidence: 'Electronic communication of this arrested person, Vusimusi 'Cat' Matlala.' And he didn't stop there. 'This analysis reveals communication between the arrested Vusimusi Cat Matlala, Mr Brown Mogotsi, an associate of the minister of police, and the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu.' Then he delivered the final blow: 'My findings show certain politicians, law enforcement, SAPS, metro police, correctional services, prosecutors and the judiciary are controlled by drug cartels and businesspeople.' For the politically uninitiated, 'Cat' Matlala is the tender don of the Tembisa Hospital, where billions were looted, and the whistleblower Babita Deokaran was assassinated. Triggermen entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority, a sure sign of the code of silence associated with the Underworld. Until recently, 'Cat' Matlala had infected the SAPS by offering health services — the audacity. According to a News24 Special Report, 'after securing a R360-million SAPS health services tender, despite zero qualifications, amid allegations of fraud, fronting and collusion, Matlala's tentacles extended to Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and former minister Bheki Cele'. Let me spell it out, Comrade Leadership: Babita Deokaran wasn't some anonymous paper-pusher. She was the Acting Chief Financial Officer in the Gauteng Department of Health, and the woman brave enough to pull the curtain back on nearly R1-billion in dodgy contracts funnelled through Tembisa Hospital — payments for everything from overpriced gloves to suspicious medical supplies. A hail of bullets And what was her reward? A hail of bullets outside her home in Winchester Hills, her blood seeping into the asphalt of our so-called democracy. The six hitmen who confessed are behind bars, but the big fish, the architects of this mafia-style hit, remain untouched, raising one screaming question: Who is protecting the real masterminds? I guess we all know who the masterminds are by now. The dominoes are falling, one by one, like rotten fruit off an overripe tree. But I digress. Not content with bullet points, Mkhwanazi rolled out a forensic timeline of events, peppered with WhatsApp receipts for extra spice. And here's the kicker: he didn't need to beg anyone to connect the dots. The dots lined themselves up and practically drew the picture for us. The performance of the political establishment since the missiles of Mkhwanazi's exposé flew from Durban to Brazil. Its shrapnel scattering all the way to Rio outside the BRICS+ conference has been nothing short of comical. Ministers, big shots, and the usual spin doctors have been tying themselves in knots trying to outrun the truth like an unmarked black SUV stuffed with menacing-looking Blue Light Bullies. Meanwhile, a flurry of gibberish words masquerading as media statements keeps flying thick and fast, even though you, my leader, called for 'restraint'. Yet restraint seems as scarce as an honest tenderpreneur these days. 'I don't know him — actually, I do — but he isn't my associate, just a comrade,' one Underworld operative mumbled to a gaggle of journalists, their eyes bloodshot and notepads sagging under the weight of scandal. Really now, what on Earth, for Peter's sake, is the difference, comrade — associate — friend, or partner in crime? Because to those of us out here, it's all starting to look like the same rotten stew. Another, cool as ice, admitted to crashing in the Cat's penthouse, yet swore mindlessly there was no 'business relationship'. So, tell us: What exactly is the relationship, then, between the accused and the former politician — platonic, sexual or something even more sinister? 'It wasn't me' All we've heard from the police top brass is: 'It wasn't me, wasn't me, of course it wasn't me.' It sounds like a national chorus of off-key Shaggy impersonators; they keep denying, deflecting, and ducking while the truth skulks in the shadows, smoking a Cuban cigar. I've said it a million times: your word, my leader, must mean something. Otherwise, 'we are on our own'. And believe me, Comrade Leadership, if the past few days have taught us anything, it is that it doesn't. The latest episode is a sequel to the spectacular fall from grace suffered by the late, corrupt police chief Jackie Selebi who belted out the immortal words that sealed his fate: 'He is my friend, finish and klaar.' He was talking about a civilian, mind you — a man already unmasked as none other than a drug lord. That's the calibre of explanations we're being served today: half-lies, twisted truths, and frantic denials all wrapped in the comedic circus of the politically damned. Meanwhile, the actors scramble for plausible deniability, leaving the rest of us to piece together the obvious: the rot runs deep, and the Cat's claws have scratched far more than just the surface. The pageantry of imigodoyi who infiltrated the ANC back in the days of exile and the underground and somehow slithered to the top post apartheid, is now playing out in full view for all of us to see. All along, we've been passengers, led like lambs to the slaughterhouse, believing we were on a luxury bus to freedom. But what freedom, really? Last week, I posed what I thought was an ominous question: 'How does one simply go to bed and wake up no longer part of the ANC, in any shape or form?' That was an awkward and misinformed question. The real question is: How do people, in good conscience, keep voting for Christmas (ANC) the way turkeys have been doing for over a century? Mkhwanazi has raised his hand; as far as I'm concerned, he is now the country's most critical national key point. Please do the right thing, my leader: instead of your judicial commission of inquiry, give us a panel of retired sleuths and senior counsels to investigate and prosecute, pronto. Meanwhile, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya and the minister of police should be suspended with full pay and retain their security detail.
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Cyril warned about ‘risky' visit to USA
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to attempt to persuade US leader Donald Trump that there was no Afrikaner genocide or persecution in South Africa. Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa's visit to the US will be risky as he might be subjected to the same embarrassment Donald Trump unleashed against Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when he visited the White House. This is the view of at least one international relations expert as Ramaphosa prepares to meet with Trump in Washington where he is expected to attempt to persuade the US leader that there was no Afrikaner genocide or persecution in South Africa. Ramaphosa's visit comes in the wake of a group of people thought to be Afrikaners flying to the US on Sunday in response to an executive order Trump signed in February, giving his administration the go ahead to admit Afrikaners from South Africa who applied to be resettled in the US because of this purported violence. The group, who have been granted refugee status by the US government, has falsely claimed that they have been subjected to a barrage of violence in South Africa because of the colour of their skin, fueling already existing tensions between the two countries. Dr Rich Mashimbye, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation, University of Johannesburg, said Trump was fully aware there was no genocide or violence in the country. 'As a president of a country with one of the largest embassies that is fully staffed in South Africa, Trump has access to all the information he requires about South Africa's transformation project and he likely knows that the issues of land reform and crime dynamics are not as has been portrayed so far. He knows that there is no genocide happening, nor confiscation of white-owned farms in South Africa. Video Player is loading. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 'It is likely that the diplomatic attacks directed at South Africa are aimed at discouraging the Ramaphosa government from robustly executing the transformation project. This would align with key Trump advisors like Elon Musk and David Sachs who have South African roots and are opposed to the transformation imperative in South Africa,' he said. Another expert Dr Noluthando Phungula said she was confident the meeting would hold. 'The South African government reiterated its commitment to finding diplomatic solutions to any misunderstandings or disputes. I am confident that the Trump administration is well aware of the actual status and stance of Afrikaner people in this country, which is largely privileged. As such, whether the administration can be convinced is neither here nor there. "However, the message that there is no Afrikaner genocide must be clarified... whether the message is received is something else,' Phungula said. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the meeting with Trump was a necessary step towards mending relations with the US. 'The ANC supports the president of South Africa meeting with the president of the US. It would be the first time since the inauguration... they have been receiving reports and they have been talking on the phone…so we have confidence that the meeting is necessary,' Mbalula said. Ramaphosa, on the government's social media platform on Wednesday, said that those that had fled were not being persecuted but wanted to leave because they did not want to change in accordance with the constitution. He said that the American government had the wrong end of the stick, however, they would continue to engage with them. US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Tuesday released a statement saying the arrival of the group sent a clear message that the US would act to protect victims of racial discrimination. 'No one should have to fear having their property seized without compensation or becoming the victim of violent attacks because of their ethnicity. In the coming months, we will continue to welcome more Afrikaner refugees and help them rebuild their lives in our great country,' Bruce said. The standoff between the countries was sparked by white lobby groups AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement during their trip earlier this year where they claimed that minority groups were being targeted with the passing of the Expropriation bill into law. The two organisations are now under investigation for alleged acts of treason, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told Parliament this week. 'The law enforcement agencies are investigating the treasonous act of misinformation… But we continue to make sure that the treasonous acts cannot be left unpunished,' Ntshavheni said during an oral question session in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). Cape Times
