National dialogue is been used as the beating stick for ANC, DA
It was always just a matter of when, not if, the ANC and DA's unusual marriage in the form of the government of national unity (GNU) would find itself in turbulent waters.
South Africa's two biggest parties have such different ideologies, so the relationship taking strain over an issue or decision taken that either of the two did not support or like was always on the cards.
Since the formation of the coalition, there's been disagreements and challenges to various Bills.
ALSO READ: Steenhuisen warned of 'insubordination' over national dialogue stance
But President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to fire former deputy minister of trade, industry and competition Andrew Whitfield has opened up a can of worms, with DA leader John Steenhuisen pulling out of the national dialogue.
It reached an awkward war of words between Ramaphosa, former president Thabo Mbeki and Steenhuisen late last week and doesn't seem to be dying down.
We are not even 13 months into the GNU, yet it faces its biggest test yet – and Ramaphosa's national dialogue is been used as the beating stick for both parties.
DA federal council chair Helen Zille has a point when she questions the manner in which the threats are being thrown around.
'A dialogue is entered into voluntarily by its participants. You can't instruct people to dialogue, especially when the ANC is clearly planning a monologue.'
Whether you think the national dialogue is a good or bad thing – especially when it's going to cost taxpayers R700 million – it needs people and leaders from all walks of society if it is to stand any chance of succeeding.
READ MORE: Steenhuisen calls national dialogue a 'band-aid on the ANC's electoral wound'
We all agree South Africa is not working like it should and an intervention is needed.
But if the very form of the intervention is flawed, nothing good will come out of it.
National bickering and finger pointing will only hurt the country.
But, at the same time, everyone needs to be reminded that a dialogue is a two-way street.
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Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
The ANC is not enabling syndicates, it is the syndicate
Sinawo Thambo 7 July 2025 | 8:57 ANC supporters. Picture: Alpha Ramushwana/EWN The disturbing revelations made by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi recently, have once again confirmed what the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have long warned this country about: South Africa is not under threat from criminals hiding from the law, the real danger comes from criminals inside the state. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) does not merely turn a blind eye to criminal syndicates, it is the syndicate, and Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, has now been directly implicated as one of its key protectors. Commissioner Mkhwanazi's briefing laid bare the collapse of law enforcement under ANC rule. He detailed how the highly effective Political Killings Task Team, responsible for prosecuting over 600 politically motivated cases and recovering weapons tied to political assassinations, was actively dismantled by political instruction, not because it failed, but because it succeeded too well. The task team's investigations began uncovering links between organised crime and senior government officials, exposing a vast criminal network involving drug cartels, corrupt police officers, members of the judiciary, business elites, and political figures. Rather than receiving support for his work, Mkhwanazi has been targeted, discredited, and politically isolated. What he revealed was damning. Minister Mchunu, through Deputy National Commissioner Sibiya, allegedly ordered the withdrawal of over 120 sensitive case dockets and orchestrated the disbandment of the entire Task Team, undermining years of critical investigative work. These instructions are said to have come without authority from either the National or Provincial Commissioners and coincided with the exposure of individuals linked to criminal syndicates who were also deeply connected to the ANC. It has emerged that Vusimuzi 'CAT' Matlala, a businessman facing serious charges, held over R360 million in SAPS contracts and was simultaneously funding political activities of Mchunu and his associate Brown Mogotsi as well as many ANC aligned political events. This should not surprise any South African. The ANC, since its near defeat of 2024, has shed any previous pretence of governing for the people. It is an organisation desperate to deploy loyalists into state institutions, because its electoral decline means less seats in Parliament and in Cabinet. It is for this reason that the ANC has gone unhinged and into a cadre deployment frenzy. It has now fully transformed into a mafia network that loots, recycles, and protects its own. This is evident not only in Mchunu's alleged sabotage of SAPS investigations but across the appointments and patronage-based deployments we have seen this year alone. It has become characteristic of every government department at the behest of the ANC and its ministers. Take for example the recent appointment of former Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, as a non-executive Director at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). This is the same Makhura who presided over, and was found liable for the infamous R42,8 million PPE looting during the COVID-19 pandemic and who failed dismally to combat corruption in his administration. Now, instead of being prosecuted, he is rewarded with a seat on one of the country's key development finance institutions, where he will have influence over billions of rands in funding and infrastructure projects. This is the ANC's idea of accountability: recycling failure into privilege. At the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the pattern continues. Two ANC stalwarts, former Minister of State Security Ayanda Dlodlo and former KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, were appointed to the board. These are not individuals with clean hands. Ayanda Dlodlo oversaw a collapse in the intelligence sector during her time in office and was central to the failure of foreseeing and preventing the 2021 unrest in KZN. Nomusa Dube-Ncube, whose name keeps reappearing in suspect appointments, was Premier while state resources were quietly redirected to ANC-aligned networks. Their appointments serve no developmental purpose; they exist only to keep the syndicate well-fed. Perhaps the most brazen example of the ANC's recent criminal consolidation is the awarding of the National Lottery operating licence, a contract worth R180 billion, to Sizekhaya Holdings, majorly owned by Goldrush Consortium led by ANC allies Sandile Zungu and KZN businessman Moses Tembe. Additionally, the award was not without conflicts of interests between the selection committee and the awardees, to which Minister Parks Tau has defied several calls to account before Parliament. In fact, this deal has since been linked to the twin sister of Deputy President Paul Mashatile's wife Khumo Bogatsu who is the co-owner of Bellamont Gaming, also a shareholder in Sizekhaya Holdings. The National Lottery is meant to serve the interests of the poor and vulnerable, not to fund political agendas and enrich the families of ANC leaders. Yet here we are, watching billions of public money handed over to a closed circle of insiders without shame or resistance. Even skills development institutions, which should be preparing the youth of this country for a productive future, are not spared despite youth unemployment well over 45%, and students continuing to struggle to get their dues from NSFAS. The ANC recently attempted to appoint Gwede Mantashe's son and once again Nomusa Dube-Ncube to chair key Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). These are not technocrats or experts. These are political royalty being planted in strategic positions to guarantee the continued extraction of wealth from the state, far away from public scrutiny. At this point, every institution that should serve the people is being turned into a front for family enrichment, and this is more than worrying. Furthermore, while the country battles hunger, rising levels of the cost of living due to increasing prices of service delivery and taxes, unemployment, and violence, the ANC is further preparing to burn R700 million on a so-called National Dialogue. This unnecessary dialogue is an evident exercise in futility designed to create salaries for unemployed ANC cronies and political veterans who offer nothing. They have recruited 'eminent persons' such as longtime ANC allies Manne Dipico, Bhuti Ntshalintshali, Ela Ghandi, and Nomphendulo Mkhatshwa, not to mention former racist National Party minister Roelf Meyer, and mining executive Bobby Godsell. This is not a dialogue for the future; it is a last supper for a dying elite desperate to eat what remains before they are permanently removed. Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi's revelations are, therefore, not an isolated incident, they are the blueprint. The ANC has no interest in good governance, justice, or economic freedom for the majority. Its leadership is entangled in a web of dirty money, state capture, and violent suppression of dissent. This is highlighted even by their behaviour in Parliament which should be the platform of democratic accountability but has been transformed into a hostile battlefield where the ANC enforces silence through intimidation, arrogance, and even physical violence. Their Portfolio Committee Chairpersons behave like gatekeepers of corruption every time a department of government is called in to account. They are unwilling to entertain scrutiny, allergic to transparency, and openly hostile to any input that challenges their collapsing departments. When cornered by facts, they resort to silencing opposition through procedural manipulation or outright force. We have witnessed EFF MPs violently removed from sittings simply for demanding accountability. This was clear during the many tablings of the national budget and the debates on the fiscal framework and monetary policy, where meaningful debate was bulldozed to rubber-stamp decisions that serve elite interests, only to be reversed by appeals to the courts. The ANC has essentially turned Parliament into a syndicate safehouse, where oversight is treated as sabotage and the truth is met with aggression. This is not a political party managing a government, it is a criminal syndicate in possession of the state. Therefore, South Africans must understand: if we do not act now, there will be no institutions left to protect. We are watching the final decay of a liberation movement that has lost its moral centre and long replaced it with greed. The only way to cleanse the state is to remove the ANC. Sinawo Thambo is the EFF National Spokesperson and a Member of Parliament
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Will Ramaphosa suspend Mchunu to safeguard ANC support in KZN?
President Cyril Ramaphosa may suspend Police Minister Senzo Mchunu instead of firing him, as shocking claims from KZN police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi expose alleged political interference. Image: Jacques Naude / Independent Newspapers President Cyril Ramaphosa may opt to suspend Police Minister Senzo Mchunu rather than firing him, following allegations by KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, due to Mchunu's role in securing ANC support in the province, a political analyst said. According to political analyst Goodenough Mashego, Ramaphosa is likely to tread the matter cautiously due to Mchunu's political influence in the province. Mkhwanazi recently accused Mchunu of interfering in high-profile criminal investigations to protect individuals with links to crime syndicates and senior police officials. Among the allegations, Mkhwanazi said Mchunu ordered the disbandment of the political task team investigating political killings and organised crime in the province. He claimed Mchunu issued a directive in December 2024 to National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Fannie Masemola to shut down the task team, allegedly under pressure from Mchunu's associates, including businessman Vuzimusi 'Cat' Matlala, who has been arrested for attempted murder, and Brown Mogotsi. Mkhwanazi stated that Matlala was awarded a R360 million police contract in 2024, and further investigations indicated that he was financially supporting Mchunu's political activities, along with Mogotsi. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading He also said there was a deliberate effort to stall investigations into the murders of prominent entertainment figures, alleging that senior police officials tied to drug cartels were protecting criminal networks. Speaking to IOL News, Mashego said the allegations are serious enough to warrant a full commission of inquiry, not just an investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), which he described as 'toothless.' 'These are serious allegations coming from a professional police officer, not tainted by past political interference,' he said. 'They warrant a commission to determine who is undermining the police, especially around organised crime. You can't run a police force without intelligence.' Mashego criticised the lack of leadership in police intelligence services, pointing to long-standing gaps since former Minister Bheki Cele's tenure. 'Why has South Africa gone this long without a functioning intelligence division? These are fundamental questions a commission must explore,' he said. Mashego said Ramaphosa faces a complex political balancing act. 'In a normal democracy, a minister facing such allegations would step aside,' he said. 'But because Mchunu played a key role in securing votes for the ANC in KZN, Ramaphosa may avoid firing him to prevent alienating that support base.' Mashego suggested Ramaphosa could use the situation to reshuffle the Cabinet, bringing in a professional with policing experience - even from outside the ANC. 'This is the time to look beyond party lines. There's a Government of National Unity now. Ramaphosa could appoint someone from another party with real policing expertise,' Mashego said. He warned, however, that most experienced police professionals may not be aligned with the ANC, and finding a suitable replacement from within the party could prove difficult. Mashego went on to say that Ramaphosa's credibility is at stake, particularly after failing to act decisively in past high-profile cases involving other ministers, such as Higher Education Minister Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane, Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane, and Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. 'There's been a lot of talk and not enough action. If Ramaphosa can reshuffle and fire DA's Deputy Minister Andrew Whitfield, why not Mchunu, who faces much more serious allegations?' he asked. Mashego argued that suspension alone, while politically convenient - is often ineffective. 'Suspensions are not deterrents. Politicians continue drawing salaries, and cases drag on for years. A full reshuffle, framed as a broader Cabinet refresh, would be more meaningful,' he said. He argued that Ramaphosa could shift Mchunu to another role and appoint someone such as International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola to head the police portfolio. 'If he fires Mchunu outright, there's a risk he could defect to the MK Party, which has been gaining traction in KZN. That's something the presidency is surely weighing,' he said. He added that Ramaphosa must also consider gender representation in Cabinet, particularly if removing female ministers like Ntshavheni or Simelane. 'This is where it gets tricky… juggling political loyalty, electoral strategy, gender equity, and public accountability,' Mashego said. Responding to the allegations, Ramaphosa has called them a 'serious national security concern' and urged restraint and discipline. However, Mashego said that is not enough at all. 'He's trying to strike a balance between protecting the ANC's interests and upholding the rule of law. But it's time to act,' Mashego said. Meanwhile, security strategist and retired Interpol ambassador Andy Mashaile told IOL News that Ramaphosa's remarks describing the matter as a 'serious national security concern' was a step in the right direction. 'He's taking responsibility by acknowledging that infighting within law enforcement agencies opens up the SAPS to criticism and undermines efforts in crime prevention and combating,' Mashaile said. 'This becomes a national security concern because crime is likely to increase. When you look at crime statistics over the next few months, this may impact information sharing and intelligence gathering.'
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Maile heeds DA Gauteng's call to release a MERO report
Gauteng's MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Lebogang Maile. Since 2020, the DA has been calling on the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) to release a MERO report, as is done in the Western Cape. It is heartening to see that our plea did not fall on deaf ears, says the writer. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng welcomes the release of the long-awaited Municipal Economic Review and Outlook (MERO) report by MEC for Finance, Lebogang Maile, this week. Since 2020, the DA has been calling on the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) to release a MERO report, as is done in the Western Cape. It is heartening to see that our plea did not fall on deaf ears. This crucial report provides proper data on service delivery pitfalls in our municipalities and highlights gaps and improvements needed. Gauteng municipalities are in serious trouble when it comes to financial sustainability due to increasing debt, decline in revenue collection and mismanagement of funds. This has severely affected the delivery of basic services, such as water, electricity, roads, and sanitation to our residents. This report is a step in the right direction to fix municipalities in the province. Where the DA governs in the Western Cape, it has long been implemented, and now Gauteng is following. The DA Gauteng will closely monitor the implementation of the MERO report and hold MEC Maile to account. Mike Moriarty MPL, DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Economic Development
