Spend 33 minutes shouting against corruption

ON NELSON Mandela Day, let us honour those who are standing up against state capture including Makhosi Khoza, Vytjie Mentor, Nhlanhla Nene, Pravin Gordhan, Mcebisi Jonas, Barbara Hogan and Mandela’s contemporaries among the ANC stalwarts and veterans.

Legacies of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo are contested terrains between various factions including those in the SACP. We know SACP chairperson Senzeni Zokwana, and Buti Manamela are not hostile to state capture, like S’dumo Dlamini in Cosatu.

Hostile against state capture are also former communists, Ronnie Kasrils, Denis Goldberg, Raymond Mhlaba, Albie Sachs, Essop Pahad, David Makhura, Phillip Dexter and many more.

Not only Madiba will be pleased that ANC members are defending each pillar of our democracy like the media, judiciary and MPs who are refusing to be intimidated – not only by hired political thugs – but are not protected by the same movement that initiated moral renewal, good corporate governance and rule of law.

Madiba did not dissolve the Scorpions or attack Baleka Mbete whose moral standards are depreciating daily in defence of a corrupt-lord who stole R246 million for his family’s comfort.

When Khoza and the media are intimidated, ANC elders cannot be silent. On Mandela Day Andrew Mlangeni, Denis Goldberg, Gertrude Shope, Sandi Sejake, Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, Barbara Masekela and Raymond Suttner must spend 67 minutes in solidarity with those intimidated by Zuma loyalists, some of whom are hired thugs.

Of the 67 minutes, we must spend 33 minutes shouting “Cyril Ramaphosa, Mantashe and Jackson Mthembu defend Khoza”. This is what Madiba said “if the ANC does to you what the apartheid government did to you, then you must do to the ANC what you did to the apartheid government”. But the likes of Khoza want to remove a corrupt leader not the ANC.

Mahatma Gandhi said “civil disobedience becomes a sacred duty when the state has become lawless or corrupt”. Is our country not in a state of lawlessness and corrupt?

Never have we had burglaries in the offices of the Chief Justice, NPA and Hawks or heists at airports. On Mandela Day, combatants against state capture and corruption must speak in support of Khoza and whistle-blowers in the ANC.

In the first seven minutes of the 67 we must shout “because Chief Albert Luthuli, Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo and Thabo Mbeki were not captured by thieves, we shall not surrender our moral compass to notorious African crooks in the Saxonwold shebeen”.

Mandela was a moral giant, Zuma an immoral dwarf. The legacy of Madiba is under threat. SIYANDA MHLONGO

KwaDukuza