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Opinionista

A luta continua: We have to stop the political cretins trying to hijack our democracy

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Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar was born in Cape Town and raised by his determined mother, grandparents, aunt and the rest of his maternal family. He is an admitted attorney (formerly of the corporate hue), with recent exposure in the public sector, and is currently working on transport and infrastructure projects. He is a Mandela Washington Fellow, a Mandela Rhodes Scholar, and a WEF Global Shaper. He had a brief stint in the contemporary party politic environment working for Mamphela Ramphele as Agang CEO and chief-of-staff; he found the experience a deeply educational one.

The real challenge for South Africa is that the fightback campaign, which is focused on undermining any attempts at accountability and accounting, will relentlessly continue at any cost.

South Africa’s political economy and landscape have for far too long been shaped by a few men and women. The consequences for the country is that South Africa was burdened with a lost decade, the costs of which will be borne by generations of South Africans. It is unimaginable that issues of social justice (let alone natural justice) would allow this to happen.

However, we should have expected this if we are honest about how the existing ecosystem of our country is geared towards supporting the incumbents even when those incumbents have a long string of accusations against them, many of which existed long before the outcome of the 1994 election. The disconnect with which public representatives operate should not surprise or shock South Africans, but what should outrage all of us is that we continue to simply move the deck chairs around on this sinking ship.

The suggestions by the Economic Freedom Fighters, and particularly Julius Malema, around the plotting to remove former president Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is another distraction from confronting the challenges South Africa should be wrestling with. It is not surprising that Ace Magashule, in his capacity as ANC secretary-general, would take to heart the suggestion that NEC member Derek Hanekom was plotting with the EFF to remove Zuma, and would go to such lengths as to issue a late-night statement to articulate the outrage the party felt about such suggestions. The factional nature of our political environment is both palpable but also inescapable, and its pervasive nature is focused on keeping us off target.

Those supportive of the State Capture agenda have consistently and continually been mounting attacks on a number of fronts, even if this threatens to tear the ANC apart. We should not be surprised by these antics. These same individuals have never been interested in serving the republic or its people, but rather about supporting their own extravagant lifestyles, supporting their lavish trips to Dubai (and elsewhere), and visiting Saxonwold or its local “shebeen” for the odd curry. The only outcome is that they will continue to do everything possible to hold on to their slice of the pie – at the expense of the republic, its citizens and even the political party that allowed them to take on their very leadership positions, which has cost South Africa so much.

South Africans witnessed the philosophy of Zuma at the Zondo Commission. We were able to peek into the thinking of a man so focused on protecting himself and his associates that he was willing to sacrifice South Africa’s sovereignty and scarce resources in order to fulfil the interests of a few.

The peddling of conspiracies and plots presented to the Commission should not be considered in isolation, but rather in the broader context of how spooks, spies and intrigue have been used by not only elected public representatives but also those who find themselves in the broad church that is the ANC and the Tripartite Alliance.

Zuma did the initial legwork at the Commission around conspiracies, and threats to undermine his administration, and so it makes all the more sense that the EFF would reveal these startling allegations, which would quickly be followed-up by a late-night (rushed and issued via WhatsApp) press statement from Magashule.

The only way to close out that conspiracy theory must be via Zuma’s Twitter account where he seeks to suggest that Hanekom (and those who have acted in a similar manner) are simply “enemy agents”. A shocking suggestion from Zuma, noting that he appointed Hanekom to his Cabinet, supported his portfolio, and in fact, allowed the very same man to chair disciplinary procedures and act on behalf of the ANC at a time when Zuma himself was leading Africa’s oldest liberation movement.

The need for conspiracy theories to be peddled, and threats of “enemy agents” is an intriguing one in certain circles, but this is not what South Africa requires, especially from current and former public representatives who should be prosecuted for the grave crimes they committed against this republic. These are not the acts of citizens interested in protecting or serving the country. This is not the conduct required by South Africa at this moment as it seeks to correct more than a decade of rampant corruption and a creeping culture of disrespect for the rule of law.

The real challenge for South Africa is that the fightback campaign, which is focused on undermining any attempts at accountability and accounting, will relentlessly continue at any cost. The desperation of these individuals will not stop, and entire histories and factual circumstances will be rewritten, re-structured and then vomited on to the public square with the sole focus of creating the most damage to the other faction. Our country lives in very dangerous and troubling times, and as citizens, we need to focus our energies on supporting the rebuilding that South Africa is trying to implement.

We are not dealing with reprobates and criminals standing at our gates, but rather we have allowed them to not simply enter our gates, but also corrupt our structures and circumvent our democracy. They are all in the kraal already! We will need to call out these political cretins in the various shapes and forms in which they wish to present themselves, but, importantly, we will also need to begin the critical and important question of making sure party bosses like Magashule are blocked.

The factional battles extend far beyond the ANC, and we must continue to strengthen and fight so that our democracy can be deepened and not simply hijacked. DM

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