‘Racist’ accusers leave deep scars

One of the saddest aspects of Barbara Hogan’s testimony to the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture is that it is a reminder of how the current ANC is a mere husk of that organisation whose members were prepared to suffer and die so that all South Africans could have a better life.

Hogan herself spent years in prison in the apartheid years for furthering the aims of the ANC – as did many others, who have been tossed aside by the organisation.

Hogan, while serving as public enterprises minister was – according to her evidence at the commission – labelled an “anti-transformation racist” because she opposed the appointment of former president Jacob Zuma’s candidate, Siyabonga Gama, for head of parastatal transport giant Transnet. She said Zuma permitted no challenge to his decision. Gama was later implicated in involvement in some aspects of state capture.

Hogan’s portrait of an organisation which had well and truly lost its democratic, non-racial way came when she said senior cadres in the organisation were the ones who played the race card against her. She expected Zuma to protect her but he just “hung her out to dry”.

Her account is chilling confirmation about how the Zuma cabal set about putting in motion its plans to have its people at key places throughout the state structures. More and more of that is emerging each day before the state capture commission.

However, even more apparent from her recounting of having the race card pulled on her – despite her valiant sacrifices in the struggle – was the damage that the Zuma years did to race relations in this country.

Accusations of racism, or smears of guilt by association with “racists” (if the critics were black themselves) has left deep scars on our society that may have been even more wounding than the monetary losses.