Parliament fire points at ANC

THE fire that almost consumed Parliament bears an uncanny resemblance to the fire that engulfed the German Reichstag on February 27, 1933.

That event increased the popularity of the Nazis, who were lagging at 33% compared to the ANC, whose popularity is at its lowest at 46% since the advent of our democracy.

Many aspects of the fire defy logic and a rational explanation of the chain of events. What followed could be classified as a comedy of errors, or it could be an enactment of a sophisticated conspiracy to strike at the heart of our parliamentary democracy.

If it involves a conspiracy, then multiple factors and players are involved. The message is sinister and clear: any attempt to dislodge the ANC will be met with fire and fury.

It is possible that the chain of events and the scope and depth of the message points to the ANC.

The subliminal message is if the ANC goes down in 2024, South Africa will go down with it.

A defeat of the ruling party in 2024 will turn into an inferno that will engulf the country in a firestorm.

If there is a sinister motive attached to the fire, then it was a direct assault on democracy’s most potent symbol, and ultimately, democracy itself.

Threats to the integrity of our democracy are greater now than they have been in 27 years. Mendacity and manipulation have been part of our democracy since our beloved Madiba left the political scene. As the trajectory of events slides into chaos and inaction, it becomes an overwhelming certainty that the ANC will be defeated in 2024, as it musters only 40% of the votes. Today’s escalating crisis in our fractured democracy is the culmination of absolute one-party rule with no checks and balances, no accountability, that started slowly and almost imperceptibly but now imperils the entire South African body politic.

This was witnessed by the magnitude of state capture and the impotency and paralysis of anyone being held accountable and prosecuted. When the Scorpions were disbanded, a whole generation of seasoned lawyers and investigators left their jobs for better prospects. Crime investigation was left gutted as it was the aim of the powers that be to decimate the law enforcement machinery.

We will never in our lifetime witness any embezzler serving time after conviction. The entire system has been emasculated by toxic politics.

All the scores of billions of rand spent on investigating is an exercise in supreme futility. The looters and their comrade in arms at every level of political power reside in an impregnable fortress that cannot be penetrated, attacked or dismantled. The sea of rot has extended so deep in depth and scope that it will take decades to unravel the cobwebs of deceit.

With that timespan, most of the looting piranhas will be dead or too old to be prosecuted.

The gutting of our Parliament is a bad omen and portends trouble ahead.

An attempt to break the glass door at the Constitutional Court is a sign that events are escalating out of control. It becomes obvious that sinister forces are pushing the nation into confrontational mode.