Clandestine war being waged in SA

THE recent charges against Zandile Mafe, arising from the fire that guttered the Houses of Parliament, are yet another diversion to cover up the ongoing clandestine war being waged in South Africa.

The battle began the day Jacob Zuma was unceremoniously removed as president of the ANC, and consequently, as head of state. The battle lines were drawn when the Zondo Commission no longer reported to Zuma but his political opponent, Cyril Ramaphosa.

Just under a year ago, when former president Zuma was arrested and his supporters threatened to make the country ungovernable, South Africa was under siege by looters and rioters. The Ramaphosa government was rendered useless as mobs attacked malls and private residences.

In the wake of this mayhem, more than 300 people were killed, and damages estimated at billions of rand were caused. The masterminds of these attacks remain faceless because the media, the government, the police, the justice system and political parties shifted their focus to Phoenix, a predominantly Indian suburb to the north of Durban, where some residents were arrested for the alleged killing of mainly black people.

Phoenix became the scapegoat then, and to this day, South Africans are baffled by who was ultimately behind the July riots. What is certain is that this was well-orchestrated, and people high up in the government had to be involved.

A few days ago, Parliament, a national key point, was engulfed in flames. Soon afterwards, Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo gave notice that he would be handing his findings to Ramaphosa. The commission was set up to expose those responsible for state capture, corruption and fraud in the public sector.

Zuma refused to appear before the commission after being subpoenaed to do so and lost his court bid to stop the voluminous report from being made public.

The houses that seat South Africa’s legislators are well-guarded, have CCTV cameras and are surrounded by security fencing. As a visitor to Parliament, it is difficult to get in without following stringent security detail procedures. We are now being fed the narrative that suggests a homeless man was responsible for the gutting of Parliament. Here is another scapegoat designed to shift focus from the silent war in South Africa.

While the focus is on the Houses of Parliament, a risk assessment needs to be done urgently on other national key points like water reservoirs, transmission stations, strategic installations, military bases, factories, key logistical routes and fuel storage sites. An attack on any of these will have a catastrophic impact on millions of people, not just 400 MPs.

VISVIN REDDY African Democratic

Change leader