‘One of the good ones’

Oxymoron 101: A good politician [View this email in your browser]( August 3, 2021 [Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, The bar is in hell for South African politicians. It always has been. Back in the day, the Nats realised they could no longer sustain apartheid because it didn’t make financial sense having plundered state coffers; now, the current crop of miscreants seem to forget they are in our employ. But there is one politician who has been deified to a point surpassed only by Martin Luther King Jr. Madiba’s name, unfortunately, has also become a talisman against valid criticisms against his party or further discussions about the drawbacks and limitations of his leadership and legacy. For nearly three decades, the ANC coasted on the strength of “not being the other guys”. Initially, through Nelson Mandela — its moral north star — the ANC didn’t have to do much in the early heady days of democratic South Africa. The finest within the party — Mendi Msimang, Andrew Mlangeni, Ahmed Kathrada, Walter Sisulu, Thomas Nkobi, Makhenkesi Stofile and many others — are all deceased and their shoes are unlikely to be filled at present. It was this exchange on Twitter that gave us pause recently when one user declared that suspended Health Minister Zweli Mkhize was “one of the good ones”. A rather bold and unqualified statement. A wholly untrue one at that. Perhaps because the ANC is teeming with the tainted, it’s easy to forget that the Digital Vibes scandal is but the latest in a series of issues of integrity involving the minister. Before his short-lived stint as the only minister seemingly working during the early days of the Covid-19 crisis, Mkhize — elected ANC treasurer general in 2012 — plotted the alleged multi-million 2005 Ithala Bank heist, ostensibly at the behest of former president Jacob Zuma. The bank, funded by KwaZulu-Natal taxpayers, was meant to uplift the impoverished in the province by providing loans to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Instead, it has been described as a piggy bank for the politically connected after lending small fortunes to companies linked to prominent figures. A loan Mkhize allegedly facilitated to pay former president Zuma’s lawyer during his arms-deal corruption trial is now coming back to haunt him. R3.4-million was allegedly diverted from the bank in 2005 when Mkhize was MEC for finance and economic development. Then there’s the revelations contained in journalist and broadcaster Redi Tlhabi’s book [Khwezi]( about Fezeka Kuzwayo, the woman who accused Zuma of rape. The allegations of how Mkhize misled Kuzwayo, commonly known as Khwezi, to intentionally compromise her case are seemingly vindicated by the trial record and judgement. Mkhize has always maintained he didn’t try to “trick” her. And now we find ourselves in this latest spot of bother. According to an affidavit by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), the venerable minister allegedly pressured department officials to award a R150-million tender to Digital Vibes — a company owned by supposed family friends. Mkhize was reportedly compensated in a variety of ways, including home renovations and [bags of cash collected by his son at a petrol station](. Speaking of whom, Dedani Mkhize, created a Twitter account, apparently with the specific goal of defending himself and slamming the SIU. Using early 2000s Nokia verbiage, he tweeted: “I understand journos will write what’s written but pls do basic analysis of SIU affidavit where it talks about what they say is my R3.8m. U can see SIU doesn’t know how to allocate this R3,4m cash withdrawals so they’ve dumped it all with me. Money I never got!!! Nxh.” To be fair, he seems to be getting the hang of the Twitter thing and yesterday posted a picture of a lion that he described as “so cute”. If you’re looking for more riveting fare, read the full SIU report. Highlights include, but are not limited to, pages 27, 28, 33, 44, 45, 56, 70 to 72. Athandiwe Saba gives a [full account of who got what and when](. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who like his predecessor is now governing by court order, was in possession of the SIU report for so long the agency had to file papers that all but reveal the contents of its investigation. Why he hasn’t taken action is beyond us but here we are yet again. There are no good ones. Just ones that haven’t been caught. Until tomorrow, Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Subscribe now]( Enjoy The Ampersand? Share it with your friends [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( [Share]( [Share]( Copyright © 2021 Mail & Guardian Media LTD, All rights reserved. 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