The ANC certainly has a case to answer on state capture

I read with disbelief ANC spokesperson

Zizi Kodwa’s “The ANC is not on trial at the commission of inquiry into state capture” (August 26). Apart from his attempt to somehow cast the Zondo commission as the ANC’s brainchild, he also oddly seems to believe that the fact that the commission is taking place exonerates the ANC.

The Zondo commission is not some generous gift to the nation from the ANC, but rather the enactment of the clear remedial action set out by the public protector in her report, “State of Capture”. The report itself represents an indictment of parliament and the failure of the ANC majority over the course of eight years to heed the loud warning bells and move decisively against the scourge of state capture.

The state capture project was executed directly under the nose of the ANC national executive, within the Zuma cabinet and in the ANC caucus. It was an ANC project, facilitated by ANC members who conceived and protected it.

Those in the ANC who latterly claim they were not aware of what was happening, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, are frankly insulting the intelligent South African public. It is simply inconceivable that the capture of the state and associated shenanigans were unknown to a large segment of the ANC top leadership.

It was only when it became politically expedient to comment and act on state capture, and the Gupta leaks ensured that exposure was imminent, that some in the ANC began singing a different tune.

The torturously slow ANC uptake to resist state capture and stand up to the perpetrators has left our economy in tatters. At state-owned entities alone, the ANC’s actions and inactions have resulted in R161bn being wasted on bailouts, subsidies and capital injections since 2008. At the South African Revenue Service, state capture has swallowed R140bn in lost revenues. Together that is over R300bn, or 22% of the national revenue budget for 2017/2018 lost by the ANC.

The Zondo commission will no doubt identify individuals to be grilled throughout the inquiry, but the main culprit is the ANC as a political organisation. President Ramaphosa, in his capacity as party president, should be called upon to testify on how the ANC party machine facilitated state capture. John Steenhuisen, DA MP and chief whip of the opposition in parliament

A tale of two reports

The reports, “Two jobs in one department for Nxesi’s man” and “Ministers have a rich uncle — or aunt — in the furniture business” (both August 26) refer.

As the government we fully accept the importance of media scrutiny to hold politicians and officials to account. The article on procurement of furniture for ministers was in this tradition and I was shocked at the figures I read. I have already ordered a full report from the department. Indeed, I believe this is important enough to justify an independent forensic inquiry.

The second article, which implies that I fraudulently employed Cox Mokgoro in two posts in public works, allowing him to earn two salaries, is a very different matter. The article is based on a lie. Mr Mokgoro is not, and never has been, employed as a special adviser to any minister.

When I was appointed to public works at the end of 2011, reports from the National Treasury, the auditor-general and the public protector all pointed to mismanagement and lack of financial controls. The department had experienced eight consecutive years of negative audits.

Mr Mokgoro was seconded to the department in 2012 to lead our clean-audit project, which resulted in greatly improved audit outcomes from the auditor-general. He was later appointed CFO.

His contribution was recognised by my predecessor, who retained his services to head a special project to design a sustainable financial and operational model for the department’s property management trading entity.

So he was never appointed as my special adviser. He never earned two incomes. This is a lie.

Thulas Nxesi, ANC MP and minister of public works

Capturing the imagination

Ajay Gupta thought there were 600million ways to buy a minister of finance, but got counter-punched squarely on the jaw by a resilient Mr Mcebisi Jonas. Instead of the Zuptas firing honest ministers, they now have to settle for firing blanks. Finally the curtain seems to have fallen on the Jacob & Friends pillaging show.

Had it not been for our toothless “law enforcement” moving at a sloth’s pace, the Zupta miscreants would already be going for their tailored orange overall fittings.

Maybe we can start land distribution without compensation at the Saxonwold shebeen — which means Brian Molefe and the likes will have to find an alternative watering hole.

Sipho K Chipiwa, Randburg

Score a clone goal, Rassie

If Bok coach Rassie Erasmus wants to continue experimenting with squads for the next Rugby World Cup (RWC), there is only one sure-fire success method: when next playing the All Blacks, Rassie should collect samples of their DNA, in a surreptitious manner, then bring these home and try cloning the only squad that could at least draw with the All Blacks.

If the current world rugby trajectories are not altered by whatever means possible, the only hope for another team to win the RWC will be if global warming floods all New Zealand’s rugby fields and forces them to play water polo.

Robert Nicolai, Howick

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