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| How Jacob Zuma got away with it – this time | How Jacob Zuma got away with it – this time |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| One wonders what the smart young suits of the credit ratings agency Moody’s must have thought of it all when they arrived in Johannesburg last week to evaluate South Africa’s economy. | One wonders what the smart young suits of the credit ratings agency Moody’s must have thought of it all when they arrived in Johannesburg last week to evaluate South Africa’s economy. |
| The front pages of newspapers were full of the sort of lurid drama one expects to see in B-grade Hollywood movies. A specialised police department, ominously called the Crimes Against The State Unit, had threatened to arrest the country’s highly respected finance minister just days after he returned from a trip to try to drum up international investment. | The front pages of newspapers were full of the sort of lurid drama one expects to see in B-grade Hollywood movies. A specialised police department, ominously called the Crimes Against The State Unit, had threatened to arrest the country’s highly respected finance minister just days after he returned from a trip to try to drum up international investment. |
| Related: President Zuma hires South Africa's third finance chief in a week | Related: President Zuma hires South Africa's third finance chief in a week |
| His deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, announced that he had been offered his former boss’ job by a wealthy family with close ties to the president, Jacob Zuma, shortly before Zuma fired the finance minister in question. | His deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, announced that he had been offered his former boss’ job by a wealthy family with close ties to the president, Jacob Zuma, shortly before Zuma fired the finance minister in question. |
| Jonas was allegedly told by two of the influential Gupta family patriarchs that “the old man wants to make you finance minister” and that if he agreed to “work with us”‚ then “we’ll fix you up”. The Guptas and Zuma have denied the claims. | Jonas was allegedly told by two of the influential Gupta family patriarchs that “the old man wants to make you finance minister” and that if he agreed to “work with us”‚ then “we’ll fix you up”. The Guptas and Zuma have denied the claims. |
| Another ANC MP told of being offered a cabinet job by the same family. The former chief government spin doctor said the president had called him and told him to place state advertisements in the Guptas new pro-government newspaper. This followed revelations in January that a mining minister had flown to Zurich to clinch a mining deal for the Guptas. | Another ANC MP told of being offered a cabinet job by the same family. The former chief government spin doctor said the president had called him and told him to place state advertisements in the Guptas new pro-government newspaper. This followed revelations in January that a mining minister had flown to Zurich to clinch a mining deal for the Guptas. |
| All this in a week in which Moody’s, the only ratings agency to have kept South Africa on investment grade since 1994, was visiting to assess our ability to steer a prudent fiscal path. It’s a delicate year, with Standard & Poor’s and Fitch – the two other ratings agencies – having placed the country one grade above junk status. | All this in a week in which Moody’s, the only ratings agency to have kept South Africa on investment grade since 1994, was visiting to assess our ability to steer a prudent fiscal path. It’s a delicate year, with Standard & Poor’s and Fitch – the two other ratings agencies – having placed the country one grade above junk status. |
| The revelations reinforced repeated claims of corruption levelled at Zuma. Revelations that the Gupta family, with interests stretching from mining to media, had been the hidden hand behind the hiring and firing of cabinet ministers and senior government apparatchiks, led to widespread calls for Zuma’s removal. | The revelations reinforced repeated claims of corruption levelled at Zuma. Revelations that the Gupta family, with interests stretching from mining to media, had been the hidden hand behind the hiring and firing of cabinet ministers and senior government apparatchiks, led to widespread calls for Zuma’s removal. |
| “This is the last warning shot to the ANC to say that if they don’t fire him or remove him this weekend, society must stand up and remove him,” said former ANC Youth Leader deputy president, Ronald Lamola. | “This is the last warning shot to the ANC to say that if they don’t fire him or remove him this weekend, society must stand up and remove him,” said former ANC Youth Leader deputy president, Ronald Lamola. |
| Ahead of a crucial meeting of the party’s highest decision-making group at the weekend, three heavyweight organisations formed by anti-apartheid stalwarts – Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada and Oliver Tambo – called on the ANC national executive committee to take urgent “corrective” actions in the interests of all South Africans. | Ahead of a crucial meeting of the party’s highest decision-making group at the weekend, three heavyweight organisations formed by anti-apartheid stalwarts – Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada and Oliver Tambo – called on the ANC national executive committee to take urgent “corrective” actions in the interests of all South Africans. |
| Instead, after three days of deliberations in which the 86-member body apparently gave Zuma a standing ovation, the national executive committee issued a statement backing its compromised leader. | Instead, after three days of deliberations in which the 86-member body apparently gave Zuma a standing ovation, the national executive committee issued a statement backing its compromised leader. |
| “The appointment of ministers and deputy ministers is the sole prerogative of the president of the republic, in line with the constitution. To this end, the ANC continues to confirm its full confidence in our president,” party secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, who had earlier said the revelations could turn the country into a “Mafia state”, told reporters. | “The appointment of ministers and deputy ministers is the sole prerogative of the president of the republic, in line with the constitution. To this end, the ANC continues to confirm its full confidence in our president,” party secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, who had earlier said the revelations could turn the country into a “Mafia state”, told reporters. |
| Mantashe went on to say that the ANC executive had “mandated the officials and the national working committee to gather all pertinent information about the allegations to enable the ANC to take appropriate action on this matter”. | Mantashe went on to say that the ANC executive had “mandated the officials and the national working committee to gather all pertinent information about the allegations to enable the ANC to take appropriate action on this matter”. |
| This is akin to asking the wolf to stand guard over the chicken coop. Zuma, around whom all these allegations of state capture have swirled, is the president of the ANC. | This is akin to asking the wolf to stand guard over the chicken coop. Zuma, around whom all these allegations of state capture have swirled, is the president of the ANC. |
| Related: Knives are out for Jacob Zuma as South Africa's Guptagate grows | Related: Knives are out for Jacob Zuma as South Africa's Guptagate grows |
| The party is now asking him to listen to those who have turned down his own proxies and give them succour. It will not happen. | The party is now asking him to listen to those who have turned down his own proxies and give them succour. It will not happen. |
| What happens now? Zuma retains control of the ANC’s top echelons and will essentially continue to manipulate state resources to benefit his benefactors, family and himself. | What happens now? Zuma retains control of the ANC’s top echelons and will essentially continue to manipulate state resources to benefit his benefactors, family and himself. |
| With the truth of his actions so luridly in the public eye, ratings agencies will have no option but to act. | With the truth of his actions so luridly in the public eye, ratings agencies will have no option but to act. |
| As renowned economist Razia Khan of Standard Chartered Bank tweeted: “State capture makes sub-investment grade almost inevitable. Price to be paid by millions of South Africans who will remain mired in poverty.” | As renowned economist Razia Khan of Standard Chartered Bank tweeted: “State capture makes sub-investment grade almost inevitable. Price to be paid by millions of South Africans who will remain mired in poverty.” |
| That’s the rub, really. The ANC took the decision to applaud a compromised leader and reinforce his power, demonstrating it has forgotten what it means to stand for the poor who supported it for more than a century and have voted it into power overwhelmingly since 1994. As Zuma and his cronies benefit, it is these poor masses who continue to suffer under an economy that will grow by less than one percent this year while unemployment stands at 25,5%. | |
| Justice Malala is the author of We Have Now Begun Our Descent: How To Stop South Africa Losing Its Way | Justice Malala is the author of We Have Now Begun Our Descent: How To Stop South Africa Losing Its Way |