Am I watching an episode of the Sopranos or is this for real?
In the space of three days:
- The ANC confirmed its unwavering support for a politician facing corruption, racketeering and money-laundering charges (Jacob Zuma) as the country’s president;
- The ANC’s chief whip (Mnyami Booi), who faces charges of defrauding Parliament, suggested the National Prosecuting Authority’s’s powers should be curbed; and
- The ANC appointed an MP (Oupa Monareng), convicted of attempting to bribe a policeman, to head the ad hoc committee to determine suspended prosecutions chief Vusi Pikoli’s fitness for office.
And this after Capo di tutti capi Jacob Zuma promised us at the weekend that clean governance would top the ANC’s agenda under his leadership of the family!
But let’s not prejudge (although Capo Monareng has, of course, already been judged).
After all, Don Zuma and Capo Booi only face charges, meaning they are as fit for public office as you or me.
Booi faces the trifling accusation that he defrauded Parliament of R145 000, among other things by flying a ‘girlfriend†from Port Elizabeth to Johannesburg and putting her up in the Pretoria Holiday Inn for a weekend at the taxpayers’ expense.
An animated look into South African politics, by Stacey Stent
If you’re a family member who’s unlucky enough to be found guilty, just lie low for a few years and then make your comeback. To refresh your memory: Capo Monareng was convicted of attempting to bribe two Soweto cops in 1996 after being caught with a stolen BMW in his possession.
After unsuccessfully trying to bribe them with four crisp R100 notes, Monareng — then a member of the Gauteng legislature, who served on the safety and security committee — offered them a cheque, to be collected the following day.
He received a suspended sentence but was red-carded by the legislature for three months and fined R3Â 000.