ROAD TO 2024 ELECTIONS
Revealed — one in six SA political party leaders has a shady past
Nine of the candidates topping political party lists to contest next month’s general elections have a chequered past. They include a State Capture kingpin and an ANC veteran booted out for sexual harassment.
At least 17% — one in six — of the individuals who have put their hands up to be South Africa’s next president have faced accusations of significant wrongdoing.
But only one — former president Jacob Zuma — looks set to be excluded from the ballot. The Constitution bars the election of anyone convicted and sentenced to more than 12 months’ imprisonment without the option of a fine, but this prohibition ceases to apply five years after the sentence is completed.
In the majority of cases listed below, the political leaders in question have never received a criminal conviction, meaning they are legally eligible to be voted into the National Assembly.
Of the 52 parties now slated to appear on the national ballot on 29 May, nine have submitted lists topped by a character with a controversial history.
This is, remarkably, a slight improvement from the 2019 party lists, when we found that one in five leaders had previously faced criminal charges, professional sanctions or compelling evidence of wrongdoing for which they had yet to be prosecuted.
The leaders in question, alphabetically via party name, are as follows:
African Congress for Transformation: Ace Magashule
Magashule was booted out as secretary-general of his original party, the ANC, thanks to his refusal to comply with the step-aside rule adopted in 2021 which stipulates that party leaders facing serious criminal charges must relinquish their positions. Magashule has been charged with corruption and fraud relating to a R255-million 2014 Free State tender to replace asbestos house roofs. Magashule was the premier of the province at the time and is still awaiting the formal start of his trial alongside 18 co-accused.
Magashule launched his party, the African Congress for Transformation (ACT), in August 2023. The party’s major advocacy appears to be around land. In February, he told SABC: “We are going to take North West; we are going to take Free State; we are going to take the Northern Cape.”
Ace Magashule unveils his new political party, African Congress for Transformation on Vilakazi Street in Soweto on 30 August 2023. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
African Content Movement: Hlaudi Motsoeneng
Former SABC COO Motsoeneng was found by former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela in 2014 to have committed fraud by misrepresenting his qualifications; to have abused his powers to approve three salary increases for himself in a single year; and to have purged the broadcaster of his rivals without following proper procedures. The courts have ruled that he must pay the SABC back about R11.5-million for improper payments he received.
Motsoeneng told TechCentral late last year that he does not have the slightest intention of complying, and maintains that the SABC owes him an additional R22-million for his superb work at the broadcaster.
In the 2019 general election, Motsoeneng ran with former Idols SA judge Marah Louw as his number two. They garnered just under 5,000 votes, making an ascent to Parliament a distant dream. Yet the party appears to have four seats in municipalities in Free State and Gauteng after the 2021 local government elections.
Former SABC boss Hlaudi Motsoeneng during the Zondo Commission in Parktown Johannesburg, 11 September 2019. (PHOTO: ANTONIO MUCHAVE / SOWETAN)
African Movement Congress: Roy Chockalingam Moodley
Moodley, who has been described as a “State Capture kingpin”, registered his African Movement Congress in August 2023. The party describes itself on its website as a “vigorous vanguard organisation that leads and represent [sic] previous and present, the revolutionary [sic] of our masses in the fight against racism and the class enemy”.
Moodley has been most vigorous in other departments. Daily Maverick’s Pieter-Louis Myburgh reported in June 2023 that Moodley and his businesses “have been implicated in some of the foremost alleged State Capture schemes during the tenure of former president Jacob Zuma”. His particular tender trough appears to have been Prasa. To the embarrassment of the DA, however, Myburgh also exposed the fact that Moodley was awarded a R282-million security contract by the Western Cape government in 2023.
Businessman Roy Moodley and former president Jacob Zuma at the Durban July in 2010. (Photo: Gold Circle)
Alliance of Citizens for Change: Masizole Mnqasela
Mnqasela, like the majority of men — all are men — on this list, has never faced formal charges. But he was axed from his political home of the DA in December 2022 following allegations of fraud and corruption relating to his expense claims — charges he has always denied.
At the time of his ousting, Mnqasela swore eternal fealty to the DA, saying: “My blood runs royal blue”. Six months later he started his party, the Alliance of Citizens for Change.
ACC leader Masizole Mnqasela protests in Hanover Street before the 2024 Budget Speech held at the Cape Town City Hall, 21 February 2024. (Photo: Shelley Christians)
Economic Freedom Fighters: Julius Malema
Malema has had well-documented run-ins with the taxman, Parliament and various courts: he is still facing charges of contravening the Firearms Control Act after allegedly firing an automatic weapon into the air at the EFF’s fifth birthday rally in 2018.
Lest we forget, he was also the subject of a damning Public Protector report from Thuli Madonsela in 2012 — which found that Malema’s company On-Point Engineering was guilty of “unlawful, fraudulent and corrupt conduct” relating to a R52-million Limpopo contract.
Daily Maverick’s Pauli van Wyk has exposed how Malema and EFF second-in-command Floyd Shivambu allegedly participated in the massive fraud around VBS Mutual Bank, with the proceeds channelled towards both men’s lifestyles and the maintenance of the party they lead.
Julius Malema at the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Election Manifesto Launch at Moses Mabhida Stadium on 10 February 2024 in Durban. (Photo: Gallo Images / Darren Stewart)
Free Democrats: Johan Reid
Dr Johan Reid (Photo: Facebook)
Cape Town neurologist Dr Johan Reid, the founder of the Free Democrats, has tangled with medical industry bodies on numerous occasions related to charges of sexual harassment, unprofessional conduct and billing patients for unnecessary procedures. In March 2011, the Sunday Times reported how Reid “treated a female patient suffering from a headache by asking her to strip down to just her G-string before giving her an injection”.
Perhaps appropriately, given that one of the charges Reid has faced before has been of “Prejudicing the patient or medical scheme responsible for paying the accounts because of exorbitant and/or unnecessarily high costs”, Reid’s political party appears to be premised on a single issue: to lobby for private healthcare.
Patriotic Alliance: Gayton McKenzie
One of the larger rogues of this particular rogues’ gallery, McKenzie is a convicted armed robber who spent seven years in prison before receiving a presidential pardon. (Sufficient time has elapsed since his sentence to enable him to stand for public office.)
His political party, the Patriotic Alliance, has repeatedly been accused of close ties to gangs.
Gayton McKenzie speaks at The Big Debate during The Gathering Twenty Twenty-Four Election Edition at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 14 March 2024. (Photo: Shelley Christians)
People’s Movement for Change: Marius Fransman
Fransman, the former ANC leader in the Western Cape, was axed from the party in November 2016 following allegations of sexual harassment. The National Prosecuting Authority initially said it would prosecute Fransman on two charges of crimen injuria and sexual assault, involving a younger female staffer, but in 2019 withdrew the charges after “informal mediation” between Fransman and his alleged victim. The ANC’s own investigation, however, found Fransman guilty of two counts of misconduct.
The People’s Movement for Change was founded by Fransman in November 2023 alongside disgruntled émigrés from other parties. The DA’s former Cape Town mayor Dan Plato is one of those who have joined Fransman, but appears only at third position on the party’s regional list for the Eastern Cape and the party’s provincial list for the Western Cape.
Marius Fransman. (Photo: GCIS / Flickr)
uMkhonto Wesizwe: Jacob Zuma
Finally, the big daddy — and the only member of the list who looks likely to be banned from contesting the elections. The block to Zuma’s eligibility is the contempt of court conviction he received as a result of the former president’s refusal to cooperate with the State Capture inquiry — rather than, say, the 16 counts of fraud, corruption and racketeering linked to the Arms Deal which he has been evading for two decades.
Jacob Zuma addressing a rally during the African National Congress (ANC) and uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party court case in respect of the MK party trademark heard at the KwaZulu-Natal Division of the High Court in Durban on 27 March 2024. (Photo: Gallo Images / Darren Stewart)
Trivia Quiz: Know Your Party Leader!
Q: Which party leader describes himself as a “self-driven Counter-intelligence Officer with an extensive background and training in Criminal and Corporate Investigation”?
A: That would be Lehlohonolo Wonderboy Mahlatsi, from United Africans Transformation.
Q: Which party list-topper cannot legally buy alcohol in the United States?
A: The Referendum Party’s number one, Robert King, who appears to be all of 20 years old.
Q: Which party leader is a member of a royal family?
A: Princess Dipuo Mthembu, the “Head Princess of Batlharo Kingdom”, of the South African Royal Kingdoms Organisation.
Q: Which party leader previously held a significant role in the corporate world?
A: The CitiZAns’ Jan Moganwa, formerly the CEO of retail banking for Barclays Africa
Q: Which party leader describes himself as follows on LinkedIn: “Slave of Christ & CEO at Qualicores & Tubes Pty Ltd”?
A: Samuel Kennedy, leader of the Conservatives in Action
Q: Which party leader is the recipient of the Order of Luthuli in silver?
A: Africa Africans Reclaim leader General Maomela Motau, who received the national order in 2018 for his “invaluable work in the redevelopment of countries torn by civil wars”. DM
Only 1 in 6? My guess would have been 6 in 6. It is also my contention that if there were no taxes there would be no politicians.
Not surprisingly to me, every time the DA is mentioned in this article it is because the corrupt person standing has been identified and kicked out by the DA.
This is a great example of what makes the DA stand out empirically as being superior to all other parties.
In the DA corruption has real consequences for the corrupt. Bad ones.
To all law abiding citizens: let’s bring back the rule of law. Let’s vote DA.
I am a pensioner
I don’t even receive a SASA pension. Reason
My wife is on contract???
Funny characters, especially Hlaudi.
Well done Rebecca
You are a real asset to DM & South Africans
I’ll second, third and fourth that!
Eish!
If you include ANC leaders in your list, the percentage will increase substantially.
Exponentially to be precise 😀
Kind of indicative of our country. The crooks are already running the show why not others, they must think. A few bad apples doesn’t apply in SA – there are so many here:(
52 Political parties?
This is just absurd.
100% agree.
For a single strong effective opposition we all need to ignore distractions and vote for the party most capable of running the country better. This can only be the DA.
when will they be introducing regular life style audits to see where the money flows
Rebecca, only ‘one in six’ ? I am thinking that’s maybe cause for celebration! If you were to ‘corruption index’, the ‘one in six’ against the ANC’s ‘top six’ (which, I know is actually a top seven) outside of the ANC looks a helluva lot more appealing than inside of it. Even more so, because most of these ‘innocent until proven guilty’ peeps listed above have previous ANC connections (and prominent ones at that)
The trajectory decline of South Africa over the last 20 years tracks with the decline in quality of the people seeking to represent us. I know it’s an unwritten rule on here that only Branko gets to swear – but truly it’s effing abysmal
The truly abysmal thing is that millions of voters continue to vote for parties that are infested by criminals, such as the ANC and EFF. It is mystifying how somebody can make his cross next to a party that is known to be corrupt. Are we saying that millions upon millions of voters cannot tell right from wrong, or don’t they ever read the news, or are they themselves wannabe criminals? SA has a gigantic voter problem.
To them they’re choosing the lesser evil.
For example… I’d rather vote for the armed robber than for anyone involved in state capture. I’d rather vote for the gun waving tax evader than the pervvy doctor. I definitely would not vote for the former sabc dude but I have to admire his audacity 🤣🤣
Sociopaths don’t do guilt. And we have lots of them in South African politics….
The ANC from the start deliberately broke the education system to ensure that the masses can not read or write. In the same way that they deliberately weakened state institutions to loot them. This is why Malema can tell people to make more babies to receive more grant money, and people will buy in to the idea hook line and sinker. This is article would be lost on them. Throw in some KFC a sweet hamper with t-shirts and the same old promises of jobs and grants, and hey presto you have a vote.
I don’t think decimating SA’s basic education system was a calculated, agenda-driven act of sabotage. Rather, I think that said destruction is just a happy consequence for the ANC and its partners-in-crime (chiefly SADTU in this case) of their own fathomless incompetence and the cocky arrogance that usually attends it. This smug conceit has them convinced that they know what they are doing, despite heaps of contrary evidence. As Hanlon’s Razor has it, “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
One in six?! Don’t make me laugh. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. I’d be surprised if one in six was actually found to be honest. Forget Ali Baba: the title should read “Ramaphosa and the 4 Million Thieves.” Sadly, the “authorities” have neither the skills nor the desire to uncover these, and publications and organisations like Daily Maverick and OUTA don’t have the resources. Even worse, the voters are unable to see how this affects their daily lives.
Thank you for the up to date news.
Mind boggling that they can even participate
I guess being caught with undeclared millions hidden under a mattress on a buffalo farm doesn’t count as “shady”.
No, it is because our broken compromised judiciary said he did nothing wrong. Perfectly normal to stash your money under the mattress or in a Jo Jo tank and lose out on all that interest he could have made at the bank.
No , its because the very same jounerlist who posted this is captured . she sees nothing wrong with stashing dollars under your sofas. the main stream media is captured hence nobody in his right mind would believe everything they write becuase they very selective.
It does just not in SA.
South Africa’s political situation has truly declined in such a short space of time. An absence of credible leadership prevails. Why vote?
they should all be disquallified
Again bashing DA. The Moody contract was forced onto the Western Cape. After all the state capture issues, his company is still on the national database for companies to bid. The provinces have k\now jurisdiction on this matter and for thes big contracts will act unlawfull if they do not follow procedure and comply. They vehemently complained that they were forced to award this tender
How is it ‘DA bashing’ to report the facts? Good journalists don’t play favourites, and if your party was involved in a scandal (forced on you or not) the facts remain the facts and must be reported as such.
I like your approach Rodney, blind loyalty got us in this mess we are in, how will these people tell children that crime does not pay? When their shady past involves crime.
It will be sad if 51% of the population don’t read because we will be stuck whilst the same crap is recycled in our politics.
Denise, the DA are not above criticism. Nor Denise is the DM a DA mouthpiece. There are many articles written on DM that I do not personally agree with – but therein lies the point. We all need to be exposed to different perspectives. It’s good for our mental health, it helps us grow. Nothing wrong with your challenging something – that’s also healthy. However to accuse this publication of DA bashing- whilst they are equally if not more critical of the ANC / EFF / PA (take your pick) is probably more reflective of your own bias than DM’s own integrity (in my opinion)
@denise – all parties are exposed to corruption; there are a lot of chancers in SA and it is impossible to vet them all correctly all of the time.
The real acid test is the way the parties deal with the corrupt when they are identified. And as is manifestly clear generally and from this article, the DA does not tolerate corruption at all.
Which puts them head and shoulders above the vast majority of other South African political parties.
How come so many ( male) members, guilty of graft totalling multi- millions each have still to have their day in court, haven’t even had the grace to resign their high positions, yet one (female) guilty of grafting 2 million and has resigned was convicted in court the very next day?
Well, she hasn’t been convicted – she appeared in court and was granted bail, that’s all. Since when do ANC bigwigs EVER get convicted, much less on their first court appearance?
America worse – it’s one in two there
And the other one is senile … 🥴
Ha! Ha! Good point.
Rebecca has done a superb job !!. Rogues gallery indeed . There are so many parallels that one can relate to from the past… not the Brady Bunch…but the Brazen Bunch could be appropriate. Some ..unfortunately …got away with murder and the loot . And the toothless lot presently in charge could’nt/would’nt lift a finger. The one pointed finger has 4 pointing back at self ! Out with the rotten on the 29th May !!!
Is this really the best that South Africa has to offer in terms of candidates? People who have been found to be corrupt or even criminal should not be allowed to be in any arm of government. One of the topics that was missed when writing the constitution was to make it mandatory for Corruption to be investigated by an absolutely independent body and for the consequence of guilt to be significant jail time, followed by being barred from any form of government on any level ever again. We CANNOT have criminals running the country and have access to tax payer money, it CANNOT work.
Gangster state/Gangster paradise .Politics is about money and power.
ZIMBABWE all over again! Nobody learnt anything from that nightmarish experience. In fact, nobody in government wants to learn anything from the mistakes made by others – as long as they have an expense account sponsored monthly by those in charge, who cares. Wait till inflation runs at 1,000%.
I think the writer must have misheard or misread the statistics. In SA with the likes of the ANC and the EFF on the political stage, it’s clearly “six out of one political party leaders have a shady past.” 🙃
What about Ramaphosa, the leader of the ANC?
Pala Pala?
Exactly! Why does cr not feature on the list? He is as guilty as any of the others.
Our very independent judiciary ruled that he is innocent. Nothing suspicious about hiding millions under your mattress and couch. Nothing to see here move along.
“In a sound democracy, our rulers ought to be changed routinely, like diapers for the same reason.” Dick Nolan
We would run out of diapers.
What fantastic role models we have! No wonder some members of the society now think crime pays. The more daring the better. What the downside?!
The law certainly doesn’t stop unsuitables from accessing and abusing power and the economy. Why five years? What rehabilitation occurs during that time? Where is the evidence? Is there any monitoring of the in the new job to ensure they have been rehabilitated? Ordinary paroled criminals are better monitored. Surely the bar should be higher here…
Parliament is supposed to provide oversight, but then we have Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. So the oversight needs oversight 😂.
Eish
The entire barrel is already rotten, with more bad apples to come.
And the Devils Alliance has no one in there that is corrupt.
People will have heart attacks when they find out what those crooks have been up to for years
Please enlighten us.
No surprise here. ANC long known as a S.A. biggest criminal enterprises
All bunch of thugs like wolves liking their lips as they circle the sheep. The barbarians truly are at the gates.
I remember the time where Gayton McKenzie traveled to Russia with Jacob Zuma to negotiate a nuclear deal which he and Kenny Kunene expected to a lucrative contract.
Do South Africans want such a man as a representative?
Allegedly.
Thank goodness for the DA. Take a break on it Rebecca!
Huh? And Cyril Ramaphosa – How did he missed the list? I guess Rebecca Davis have some explaining to do for poor research or is she just reflecting the support of DM for the ANC.
Don’t forget Ramaphosa also Phalaphala
Fanie the DA needs to be given a chance but not as a superhuman party and to get the permission to do so it must appeal to the average person who cannot read that much or write that much.
I stay in rural Mpumalanga where the people know the DA t-shirt but don’t know the DA or western cape and its a massive number.
Those who know and praise the DA might be the people who already voted for the DA.
The political landscape is tricky but I like your energy though.
Thanks @kenneth – I absolutely recognise the pervasive nature of the obstacles faced. However I also know the only way to achieve change is to focus on a solution. As the only truly multiracial party big enough to run our country, committed to all our people and with a proven track record of better service delivery and a focus on enforced law I firmly believe the DA is that solution.
And I believe that the best thing all of us can do now is to actively invest our time in spreading the message to all our people that positive change for all of us couldnt be simpler.
Just put your X next to the DA in this election.
A bunch of crooks who are in politics the scheme the people. Its all about THEM not the masses.
One in six? Are you kidding?