It was our sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, who was the key player in the rise and rise of President Jacob Zuma in the years between 2005 and 2009.
Mbalula was the general in Zuma's "Stalingrad" strategy - frustrate, stall and challenge every small move by the state, the judiciary and ANC internal processes to keep Zuma from facing corruption charges.
With Mbalula at the helm of a then-organised ANC Youth League, Zuma's nemeses were frustrated at each and every point within the ANC by Mbalula.
Decisions to suspend Zuma, for example, were frustrated by Mbalula and a rising Nathi Mthethwa, now handsomely rewarded with a cabinet position he can neither handle nor deserves.
In 2007, when Zuma was closest to facing the music, the ANC extraordinarily decided at its conference to disband the Scorpions - the investigative unit that had the goods on Zuma - in a move led by Mbalula and others. The justice committees in parliament moved extremely swiftly and within a year the Scorpions were no more.
The two MPs who delivered this result, despite widespread condemnation, Yunus Carrim and Maggie Sotyu, were also handsomely rewarded with cabinet seats. Mbalula was also rewarded by being made a deputy minister in 2009.
All this was done to protect Zuma and to ensure that he did not see the inside of a courtroom, let alone a cell. It worked.
The Stalingrad strategy has been hauled out again. Zuma's litany of scandals will not stop, so it is once again time to protect him. Every little detail, every little legal loophole, every tiny political fissure, will be exploited to ensure that the ANC president does not face the music.
This time the strategy is firmly aimed at Public Protector Thuli Madonsela and her Nkandla report. The upgrading of the Zuma homestead has cost you, the taxpayer, R206-million so far.
Over the past year the ANC in parliament, and government entities, have ratcheted up the noise around Madonsela. They are noises similar to those we heard as the Scorpions' noose tightened around Zuma in the late 2000s.
The investigative unit's leaders were investigated and followed by intelligence agents. ANC politicians jumped to stand on podiums and denounce the unit.
Now it is happening to Madonsela. It would not have happened to Madonsela's predecessor, a poodle by all assessments. But Madonsela has been different. She has been tough, straight and fair. She has endeared herself to a public that is tired of corruption in the public sector. At last, many sighed, here is someone who stands up for the little guy.
The ANC does not like that one bit. More important, the ANC does not like it when state and other agencies start investigating Jacob Zuma. The ANC gets out its guns for agencies that do that.
Hence the assault on Thuli Madonsela.
At the beginning of this year she was accused by ANC MP John Jeffery, now the deputy minister of justice, of ignoring the recommendations of the justice oversight committee, failing to provide detailed reports on her work and overstepping her powers.
Two weeks ago, as the release of the Nkandla report loomed, ANC chief whip Stone Sizani accused her of trying to create the impression that the president and ruling party wanted to evade accountability on Nkandla.
This despite the fact that Madonsela had previously asked parliament to decide where public protector reports involving the ethical conduct of the president should be submitted. Parliament had not done so.
Then ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe weighed in last week, saying "the confusion [Madonsela] displayed when she said she did not know where to take the interim report worked on the psyche of the public in a way that reflected negatively on the president. She has handled it in a manner that suggests that she is an interested party".
On Friday the security cluster ministers welcomed the court order granting them a hearing on their application to prevent Madonsela's preliminary report on Nkandla from being released. Who are these ministers who are so pleased?
All of them are well known for being at the forefront of virtually every move to prevent Zuma from facing accountability on Nkandla, Guptagate, corruption allegations and other scandals. They are Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi (remember that lame Nkandla report at the beginning of the year?), Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula (still no action over Guptagate), State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele (he fired intelligence heads who were uncomfortable about Zuma's Gupta links) and, of course, Mthethwa (who has been on Zuma clearance duty since 2005).
This is Zuma's elite protection unit. It is effective. Their man has not faced justice despite the volume of criticism of his actions. Madonsela, and all of us, should be deeply afraid. They are coming for Madonsela, just as they came for the Scorpions.
The Stalingrad strategy is in motion, all in defence of one man: Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma.
No comments:
Post a Comment