The ANC’s never in short supply of shady characters in senior positions, whether in government or its party structures. One would be forgiven for thinking that the criteria for a senior leadership position at the moment is having a tainted integrity, character and morality — a criminal record or criminal charges would be preferred. Not long ago the self-confessed crook Carl Niehaus was appointed as an ANC spokesperson. The ANC pleaded ignorance to any prior knowledge of his unscrupulous background as his litany of lies was exposed by the media. It was too embarrassing to admit that they knew he was a crook when they appointed him. Not that that matters as he would have felt very much at home with the rest of shady characters like him within the ANC.
Now the current ANC spin-doctor, Jackson Mthembu, who is no stranger to controversy, also finds himself in trouble with the law. On the morning of March 11 2010 8am he was stopped and arrested in Cape Town for drunken driving. The arresting officers claim he was three times over the legal limit. The police probably did not need to test his blood-alcohol levels as his “phuza face” was evidence enough to raise suspicion. Drunk at 8am in the morning? It must have been one “lekker” party he was coming from.
In his moment of drunken stupor he chose to conduct an interview with the news agency Sapa on Malema’s racist tirade. Malema had in song called for the murder of white farmers and accused them of being rapists. In Malema’s defence “Dr” Mthembu claimed that Julius was quoted by the media out of context. In his state of semi-consciousness, he absurdly claimed that the racist song which incites violence against whites was acceptable as it used to be a revolutionary song. To rub salt to the wound he started serenading the journalist with the same song.
“Dr” Jackson Mthembu, the spin-doctor, as mentioned already, is a controversial character. When he was MEC of public works in Mpumalanga in 1998 he demonstrated his charitable benevolence by flouting the ministerial handbook regulations and purchasing for his fellow MECs 10 Bling-MWs costing R77 000 more per vehicle than allowed for. Despite having spent R2.3 million on cars; something which in terms of the Public Finance Management Act would be deemed “fruitless and wasteful expenditure”. But compliance with the laws is never much concern to most ANC public representatives as Mthembu was shielded by portfolio committee chairperson BJ Tolo who said: “It’s true that they didn’t follow procedures and that they should have waited for permission from (Transport Minister Mac) Maharaj, but there was no act of criminality here and no-one should crucify them for this issue.”
Mthembu at the time said that they (MECs) decided to ignore regulations on cost limitations because of inflation considerations and because there appeared to be confusion about the exact amount allowed to MECs. It appears ANC officials are always confused when it comes to issues of compliance. Recently Jacob Zuma claimed to have been confused on whether he needed to declare his interests as required by law despite the Code of Ethics being very clear in terms of who needs to make a declaration or not.
In May 1999 Mthembu was involved in an accident in the early hours of the morning in a state vehicle in Witbank. The car hit two traffic signs then smashed into a tree. He admitted to booking himself, his wife and an assistant into a luxury Witbank hotel while he organised local ANC election rallies when he owned a house in Witbank.
But Mthembu was not done. On June 11 2001 the Scorpions pounced upon him, arrested and pressed charges against him of fraud relating to the R151 million tender for the construction of the N4 toll road between Rustenburg and Zeerust. The Scorpions alleged that Mthembu and his co-accused, Rauf Iqbal, as directors or employees of the Pakistan-based company SKB, used a falsified letter stating that the SA National Roads Agency (Sanra) had awarded a R151 million contract to SKB, in an effort to obtain a performance guarantee of R15 million from Absa, when SKB didn’t even tender for the contract. The two suspects were acquitted of these fraud charges by the Pretoria Regional Magistrate Mario Jungbluth who said the state had to prove prejudice or potential prejudice to the complainants (Absa and Sanra). Because the complainants did not suffer any loss or potential loss the magistrate threw the case out which does not prove the innocence of the two accused. He promised to sue the Scorpions for “millions” but the never materialised.
Mthembu is another example of a member of the “Coalition of the Wounded” — those who formed a pact given their historical troubles with the law and their questionable standing in the moral and integrity scale. It is becoming increasingly clear that those who rallied behind Jacob Zuma for the presidency were not inspired by the pursuit of justice or promotion of particular principles but purely anger and bitterness at the effective functioning of the justice system. While some political careerists had identified that under Zuma it would be an opportunity to advance their personal ambitions of rising to power and controlling state resources. The culmination of all this has been rather disastrous: lack of service delivery, looting of state resources and overall ineffectiveness of government to tackle pressing problems.
With the ANC continuing to harbour people like Mthembu and rewarding them with appointments to senior positions, instead of making progress towards realising the aims of improving the general welfare of the people, we in fact appear to be regressing.
um, weren’t you anc until the capitalist posse up and left? you’ve got no room to talk, boet.
…and now what?
Three years of legal bungling, juggling and judicial manipulations, the man gets off.
Remember Motata, McBri(b)e and the 100 parliamentarians in the “travel gate” case.
As they say: “justice is blind” but -in my work with the blinds- I have learned that it can smell and hear!
CONGRATULATIONS !!! Well written and TRUE ! Start the Moral Regeneration !!!
Absolutely true we are being robbed by the ANC, they think they are above the law and they are getting away with it, what on earth can we do to stop it.
Good one Sentletse
As painful as it is for some to admit. The ANC have since inception had a huge criminal eliment.
The fact that they supposedly rebelled against Apartheid [ criminals in my eyes ] was an excuse for power. Conversly they see themsleves as the saviours and have no guilt when claiming entitlement. Much like wolves in sheeps clothing.
That said, there is the old saying that once a criminal always a criminal. In the ANC this seems to be the case becuase they have not learned that when they got away political lies and the theft of a few million they immeditaly step it up to billions.
Then there is this perpetual twisting in the wind when caught. It is as if they honestly are surprised / indignant that they had to face the law. I mean Zuma knowing mixed it with Shaik the tell the would he is “innocent” and has “[suffers]no conscious over the matter”. More truth in that statement than meets the eye.
@sentletse I am afraid you are right. Unfortunately once a political party achieves political power it becomes a magnet for the worst elements in society, namely the self-serving and the greedy. This is a reality the world over and has to be guarded against by civil society through constant vigilance.
In a situation such as ours this vigilance is made more difficult because of our history of oppression recently overcome. Such people, as we ourselves are seeing, use every trick in the book to try to hide their true nature from society at large by hiding behind a façade, a façade of ‘struggle for freedom’. They will even resort to ‘dissing’ the names of genuine upright stalwarts of the struggle such as Nelson Mandela if they think this will best serve their own selfish interests.
@Mundundu…For the record, I’ve never been a member of the ANC or any political party until 2008.
Oh, so you’ve noticed. How long before others do?
Anywhere else in the world and these parasites would have been forced to resign, or been fired.. In South Africa, the most worrying thing is that this behaviour has become accepted as normal for our politicians.
Fifty or a hundred years from now, the current era of politicians will not be remembered for any effort of nation-building or national improvement. It will be relegated with contempt to a cursory paragraph in history textbooks dubbed “post-liberation corruption” with brief comments on ineptitude, aloofness and political and financial greed; Blaming apartheid and ascribing government failure to the “youthful nature of our democracy” will be scapegoats that people will have grown tired of, and matured out of.. and all that will remain is a sentiment of disgust.. for a leadership that had all the potential in the world to make South Africa perfect for all its people, but chose to squander it in favour of their own personal greed and arrogance..
History remembers Nero as the emperor who fiddled while Rome burned. A similar lacklustre description will come to be the legacy of the current lot of pathetic excuses for politicians..
We need a revolution to oust this disgusting government……… but unfortunately the uneductated and illitrate masses who could do it, don’t even know what’s going on,or at worst, don’t mind. When traveling, I am embrassed to tell people I am from South Africa because they associate Zuma with me……..The pits man, Jik.
Sentlatse – and I know that ANC apologists will accuse me of racist paternalism or some such crap – your summary is refreshing, accurate and extremely concerning for anyone who loves this country and has over half a brain.
All your COPE buddies and cronies were part of it and they left when they saw they were being replaced.Arms deals? Till the day before he left the Party he pushed for it’s signing without relevant authorisation. Small minds,forget.They make kids and left them to fend for themselves, suddenly they claim JZ is not fit to be president…? They must open their own zips and check!!No one is clean!!
Well done Sentletse Diakanyo!
Shocking to see what is happening in that country.
In this mornings Sunday newspaper, it is reported that Zuma is frustrated by his innept ministers and has come down on them hard in a letter.
He threatens to shuffle his cabinet, but what is the good of that. Move one incompetent to replace another incompetent who now has to take on a new portfolio.
If he had the leadership and courage to fire one single idiot minister, this country would begin to automatically work. But the ANC does not work this way, because all would then become a target, starting with Zuma himself. PATHETIC.
Sentletse, I agree that it is a dire situation. That siad, I can recall you writing articels (about a year to 18 months ago) in which you accussed seemingly white writers – who raised the very same issues you have now raised – of being apartheid apologists seeking any reason to criticse the new South African governemnt.
What has changed since then? I hope you are not of the view that criticism of the current government is only permissable from sectors of the population.
A good analysis – and now where do we go to make things work? There are obviously some good thinkers here and we need to change things so that everyone wins. What I have learnt in the last week makes me want to cry and also to shout loud and clear! NECSA is flouting Labour laws with impunity – that’s not a pretty discovery at all! This is one of our Nuclear installations and they are not abiding by the law of the land. ANC fat cats are preventing job creation, so that they can line their pockets. Finally, Winnie didn’t.
I always find the responses to articles like these very revealing. If one used to be an ANC one is not supposed to critisize the present government; if one is white, it goes without saying that one is racist and therefore unqualified etc etc. Well I have news for these individuals who like to disqualify everybody that does not agree with the present jokers who govern: even the most dyed-in-the-wool ANC supporters, if they have some conscience, will start recognising that corrpution is bad for the country and will start saying so. I think it is called a Damascus experience. So stop trying to ignore criticism and start realising that the world out there is at the same time laughing at the antics of these bozos and weeping at the effect it has on the citicens of this country.
@ Hugh Robertson:
Apart from the ignorant comment that by ‘supposedly rebelling against apartheid they were criminals in your eyes’, the rest of your supposed argument is so incomprehensible as to prove the thoughtlessness of your assertion above. In spite of reading your last paragraph a couple of times, it still does not make sense what you mean by:
“I mean Zuma knowing mixed it with Shaik the tell the would (sic) he is “innocent” and has “[suffers] no conscious over the matter”.
What are you trying to say? We expect some intelligent comments from contributors to this Forum.
@ Hugh ROBINSON:
My apologies for referring to you as Robertson in my recent comment – March 14th, 2010 at 7.54 pm.
If this is any measure of competence or incompetence of the ruling party (government), I am afraid we (ordinary citizens) are in for a long haul.
The regression is speeding up as opportunities for self enrichment open up further. Wait till the ESKOM deals break through the clouds of secrecy and make the arms deal pale into insignificance. There are serious opportunities to make massive amounts of money by being in the right party at the right time. Chancellor House may have to tone down its open theft of public funds, but private party members will be there to pick up any slack. Welcome to the kleptocracy.
Re-shuffling cabinet positions?
Re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Idiocracy. Kleptocracy. Mal-ocracy. Incompetence breeds corruption
Thank you, Sentletse for informing us that you have never been part of any political party (read liberation movement) until 2008. Your confession goes a long way in understanding why you are always found wanting when dealing with political issues. You are just a political infant and a meagrely well-versed political commentator who uses emotions instead of reason when arguing.
Since your big-bang entrance into political scene, can you please show me any political party that is meticulous and has no shady charactes like the ANC you are fanatical about? Let’ start with COPE…
Another good honest synopsis of the South African political scene. Perhaps it would help if the ex-terrorists were to be retrained with skills more suited to a democratic cabinet before they are allowed to become politicians? Lack of education shows its face once again. Would someone higher up with more political clout also please point out to the ANC that the term “Comrade President” is mixing your ideals if it isn’t an outright oxymoron? Perhaps it is time for the three parts of the ANC to each separately review their mandates in light of our Constitution. The Freedom Charter as well. As far as I know it was never meant to be written in stone but a work in progress as more facts came to light and which culminated in the Constitution. WHICH WE ALL AGREED TO, or at least, didn’t complain about to start with. How can so many leaders (Zuma for ex.) claim ignorance of the intent of the Constitution? Isn’t our president and his ministers sworn in to DUTY by swearing to uphold the Constitution? How can they claim to do so when they don’t know it?
Basically, this government is the logical end result of “Liberation before education”.
We are regressing.
@ x-Cepting:
While I have no quarrel with most of what you say [and I fully agree with Sentletse's analysis, see my comment above], I think you miss the point about the level of education among many in the governing party. The question you need to consider is why they lack this quality. The answer lies in the misguided policy of the former government which strenuously suppressed equal educational opportunities for the its black population by mandating an inferior level of education. No one can gainsay that. Despite these strictures many were able on their own accord to pursue higher education even in exile. How prosperous would S.A. be if all its citizens had equal opportunity then.
The main issue here is PERFORMANCE and integrity, and I think this is the point of the article. Your addenda comment @ 10.46 suggests you advocate paternalism and tutelage again!
@ Mtimande
Why dont you start (and end) with the DA.
@ Panchetta
I couldn’t start with DA because the smell of the toilets they built for the poor is still troubling me …