South Africa has suffered a number of government scandals since liberation: Sarafina II,the Mpumalanga housing scam,
Baleka Kgositsile’s driving licence, the
Central Energy Fund (CEF) and Emanuel Shaw II … Few of them, however, point to failure of government in quite as stark a fashion as the scandal we break in this edition of the Mail & Guardian relating to the activities of Mathole Motshekga, the man who will next week take over the premiership of our richest province.
The nub of the scandal where the public interest is concerned lies not with the activities of Motshekga himself, disgraceful though they appear to be, but with the
extraordinary behaviour of the national leadership of the African National Congress which failed to stop him taking the leadership of Gauteng.
As we detail elsewhere in this edition, it is clear that members of the ANC’s national executive, including President Nelson Mandela, were aware of allegations which were being made against Motshekga when he stood for the premiership.
Typically, an attempt was made to deal with the problem by behind-the-scenes manipulation, instead of discharging their duty to the electorate by laying the facts of Motshekga’s background on public record. The rank-and-file, resentful of interference from on high, sent a defiant message of provincial independence to Shell House by electing Motshekga to the post.
It is notable that, since the ANC came
to power in South Africa, only two national officials have been sacked as a result of
corruption scandals, and both were innocent of any wrongdoing. One was Terror Lekota. The other was the national director of housing, Billy Cobbett. Both were seemingly found guilty by the ANC of the same “offence”: breaches of loyalty for trying to uncover scandal in party ranks.
There is a possibility, as we go to print, that heads are about to roll at the CEF, but only because of the almost comic-opera dimensions of that scandal and the sustained publicity given to it by this newspaper. If the Minister of Minerals and Energy, Penuell Maduna, does fail to act against Shaw and the CEF chair, Don Mkhwanazi, this country will unquestionably qualify for inclusion among the world’s banana republics.
The failure of the ANC to act decisively against corruption is difficult to understand. Rumours are flying, suggesting that certain individuals are being protected because of past liaisons with persons in high places. Whether or not this is true, it needs be said that failure to act is inexcusable.
Mandela had it right when he said at Mafikeng last month that the “moral renewal” of South Africa is a matter of critical importance and desperate urgency. We trust that he will now give us the lead with regard to the Gauteng premiership.
All in good order
Our congratulations go to Erwan Four, the out-going ambassador of the European Union who this week received the Order of Good Hope Award, South Africa’s highest honour for foreign citizens, presented to him by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aziz Pahad. We have no doubt that the honour was richly deserved.
At the same time, with all due respect to Pahad, we must confess to some puzzlement that a junior minister should be responsible for dishing out the gong. Awards, after all, are all about symbolism. If we are so grateful to Four for his heroic efforts in strengthening ties between Europe and South Africa, could we not have made the point by mustering someone a little more senior? Could the president not be found? Was Thabo Mbeki too busy renaissancing Africa? Could the minister not be awakened?
Is it not, anyway, time to overhaul the honours system? The Good Hope medal is a trifle tarnished by the president’s use of it in an attempt to buy a settlement of the Timor issue from President Suharto. Perhaps it is time for an overhaul.
The award of honours to foreigners would seem to us to be a “good thing” (domestic honours are more risky; the temptation for the president to try to buy peace in KwaZulu-Natal might prove overwhelming, with the result that we will have the minister of home affairs clanking around the corridors of the Union Buildings). But it should at least be renamed. “Good Hope” smacks of colonialism.
Surely we can come up with something a bit more evocative of Africa. It is somewhat ironic that the president should have been the recipient, rather than the donor, of the Order of the Elephant — and that from the queen of Denmark nogal (not half as ironic as the detail that the award was for “chastity and purity”, but that is a by- the-way). Could we not have the Order of the Lion (preferably not “canned”), or of the Rhino (de-tusked, if it has to be)?
No, a far better idea: it shall be the Nelson Mandela Medal. Anyone would be proud to win that … and it might make the president more protective of the honours system.