Gigaba has no-one but himself to blame for his fall from grace
In 1996, Knowledge Malusi Nkanyezi Gigaba took over from Lulu Johnson as president of the ANC Youth League. A bright, suave, politically astute 25-year-old, he was destined for great things. Some even compared him to Anton Lembede, the inaugural president of the youth league in 1944. So popular was Gigaba, his peers re-elected him twice to the youth body, making him the longest-serving president of the league. In 2004, when Fikile Mbalula succeeded him, natural progression dictated that he would continue his upward trajectory. Given that he was a close confidant of President Thabo Mbeki at the time, it came as no surprise when he was made deputy minister of home affairs the same year. But that is where the good story ends. Deputy ministers are forgettable, unless they embroil themselves in some scandal, and Gigaba managed to keep his head below the parapet during that period. The beginning of the end for him, however, came when Jacob Zuma made him public enterprises minister in October 2010. State capture was in its rudimentary stage and Zuma needed compliant comrades who would take orders from Saxonwold. As history would have it, Gigaba allegedly became the chief enabler. Under him, Gupta acolytes took hold of key state-owned companies, looting them to the ground.
Untouchable at the time, Gigaba probably believed the hype he was being fed — the lie that he was being groomed for the west wing of the Union Buildings.
His fall from grace has been dramatic.
His woes had been multiplying for some time, leading to their climax in a week he will want to quickly forget. A private video in which he seems to be pleasuring himself caused him immense embarrassment. But the final nail in the coffin must be the Constitutional Court rejecting his bid to appeal against a finding that he lied about authorising a private terminal for the wealthy Oppenheimer family at OR
Tambo International Airport.
Having inexplicably survived in February, when
President Cyril Ramaphosa reconfigured the cabinet, axing deadwood and Gupta-stooge ministers, Gigaba must know that this time, his number is up.
Ramaphosa indeed gave him a lot of rope to hang himself with and it has now become untenable for him to remain in office. Gigaba is at his most vulnerable politically. Though he remains a member of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC), it’s doubtful that anyone will stand up in his defence. He angered Zuma supporters after the Nasrec elective conference when he appeared on global news network CNN to urge the former president to step down. His own comrades seem to have it in for him. From being touted as a future president of SA, he is now destined for the back benches, thanks to political gambles that backfired badly.
When it was revealed that Nhlanhla Nene had held private meetings with the Guptas, he wisely fell on his sword, saving the president the pain of having to fire a very capable finance minister. Gigaba is not that noble. As our front page today suggests, he is trying to mount a fightback, pointing the finger at everyone from the National Treasury to the public protector, and even the Oppenheimers for the demise of his career.
But the truth is that no-one but Gigaba is to blame for the mess he finds himself in. He must own up and take responsibility for his own poor choices and accept the punishment coming his way. Perhaps one day, when he is ready to own up, Gigaba will finally admit that he tore up his own legacy by allowing himself to be used by Zuma and his cronies.
It would be folly, however, to dump him into the political dustbin of history forever. Fast approaching 50, he is not a spring chicken, but the ANC is heading into what is arguably its most challenging election to date, and Gigaba — flawed as he is — can still play a role in galvanising support for the party. In the meantime, he would be well advised to admit that it’s over as far as the cabinet is concerned.
He’s an NEC member, but it’s doubtful that anyone will stand up in his defence