Latest news with #SizweMpofu-Walsh
IOL News
2 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
'Ramaphosa will die in jail if he lives to 80,' says Political Analyst Prince Mashele
Political analyst Prince Mashele says President Ramaphosa's corruption and failure to act show he leads a criminal network and will ultimately die in jail if he lives long enough. Political analyst Prince Mashele says President Cyril Ramaphosa will be remembered as one of the most ineffectual presidents in post-apartheid South Africa. He predicts that if the president lives long enough, 'say he touches 80,' he will die in jail. In an interview on the Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh podcast, Mashele expressed criticism of Ramaphosa, calling him the "criminal in chief" at the head of a 'criminal organisation,' namely the African National Congress (ANC). 'Cyril Ramaphosa will go down in history as one of the most useless presidents we have had after 1994. And I don't mince my words, useless. Zuma will go down in history as the most criminal. But let's park that, we've dealt with Zuma many times. There is a criminal organisation, the criminal in chief, it's president Ramaphosa himself,' Mashele said. Referring to Ramaphosa's handling of the revelations and allegations made by KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi in a press briefing on July 6, 2025, Mashele accused the president of deliberately failing to act in the face of damning intelligence. 'You see, there is a moment for a leader of a country to show leadership, to lead his nation. Cyril Ramaphosa missed the moment. He did not act like a leader. He has completely forgotten his responsibilities.' Mashele argued that Ramaphosa, as president, receives daily intelligence briefings and cannot plead ignorance. 'A president is client number one of our intelligence services. They report to the president. There is absolutely nothing that Mkhwanazi knows that Cyril Ramaphosa does not know. So this idea that there must be a commission of enquiry is absolute nonsense. In fact, it's insulting our intelligence as a society. He knows,'' said Mashele. Central to Mashele's argument is what he sees as a mutually compromising relationship between Ramaphosa and Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. 'He [Ramaphosa] cannot act sternly against Mchunu. Why? Because he and Mchunu are partners in crime,' said Mashele. He accused Ramaphosa of being unable to act against Mchunu due to their shared involvement in the CR17 campaign, where, according to Mashele, 'all the dirty money' flowed.
The Citizen
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Like father, Like son: Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh earns law degree
Dr Sizwe recently graduated from the University of South Africa. Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh with his father, Dali Mpofu, at his graduation. Picture: Instagram/@sizwempofuwalsh Author, academic and broadcaster Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh has officially added another qualification to his name. He recently earned a law degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA), following in the footsteps of his father, Dali Mpofu, who is a prominent South African advocate and legal professional. Taking to Instagram over the weekend, Dr Sizwe said completing his undergraduate law degree was one of the most demanding yet rewarding chapters of his life. 'I never planned to study law. Everyone thought I would because of my father, so I rebelled. But during the pandemic, while working on my second book, I found myself drawn into constitutional debates and discovered the quiet power of the law. I couldn't look away anymore,' he wrote. He added that transitioning from holding a doctorate in international relations to starting again as a law student was a humbling experience. ALSO READ: 'They should be embarrassed': Mpofu slams charges as disciplinary hearing postponed Balancing work, family and studies Dr Sizwe currently lectures in international relations at Wits University and is the founder of the popular current affairs YouTube channel SMWX. He said balancing a growing podcast, his academic duties, and parenthood while pursuing his law studies was one of the toughest professional challenges he has faced. 'I could never have known my son would be born during this journey, cheering me on in his small way as I moved from nappies to assignments, and back again. To share this moment with those I love has been the greatest gift,' he added. While he is not stepping into the courtroom just yet, he said his focus remains on academia and growing his podcast. 'But maybe one day, I'll stand before a court, adding my voice to a tradition that shaped me. This graduation felt special for all these reasons.' NOW READ: Sun Goddess' Vanya Mangaliso and musician Feya Faku laid to rest
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
‘Crime is planned from prison,' says former police minister Bheki Cele
Former Police Minister has disclosed that South Africa's violent crime is planned from within prisons by inmates serving life sentences. Image: X/@SizweMpofu-Walsh Former Police Minister Bheki Cele has made a shocking revelation, claiming that most of South Africa's violent crime is being planned and organised from behind bars by inmates serving life sentences. 'Most of the crime is planned from prison,' Cele said during an interview on the Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh Xperience (SMWX) podcast. 'The people that are doing life sentences, they run crime outside.' Cele, who served as Minister of Police from 2018 to 2024, said correctional facilities have become a place where criminal syndicates are coordinating illicit activities beyond prison walls. 'Correctional facilities themselves are, in some ways, reproducing crime,' he said. 'One day I was phoned by a guy in prison who refused to tell me who he was. He warned me that a chief was going to be killed in Ulundi. He gave me names, the lodge, and everything.' Cele said he passed the information to KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. 'When Mkhwanazi got there, he found exactly what the caller had described. That came from someone inside prison,' he said. Cele also said the Wellington Prison, Mthatha in the Eastern Cape is known as a planning centre for conflicts in the taxi industry. 'That's a big problem. The case of Thabo Bester was high-profile, but there are many like him. Not just escapees, people who are still inside, sending out plans,' he said. He added that addressing crime in South Africa requires more than just empowering the police. 'You can't just strengthen the police. You need to strengthen the entire criminal justice system,' Cele said. Cele, who served as National Commissioner of Police from 2009 to 2011 before being removed in 2012 over misconduct allegations, said crime statistics during his leadership were significantly lower. 'Go study the crime stats from 2009 to 2012. They came down. Not just by numbers, South Africans said they could sleep with their doors open,' he said. He credited the drop in crime to strategic collaboration during preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Cele said they created the Tactical Response Team, known as the 'AmaBherethe,' after a cash heist in Pretoria where two men and women in blue were killed. 'Police at the scene couldn't pursue suspects driving high-performance vehicles in their standard-issue Corollas,' Cele said. He said the TRT served as a buffer between regular police stations and elite units like the National Intervention Unit and the Special Task Force. 'We bought GTIs and BMWs for the unit. We strengthened the force. At the time, we had about 195,000 police officers for a population of 50 million,' Cele said. But after leaving office in 2012, Cele said many of these initiatives were dismantled. 'When I returned in 2018, South Africa had grown to 60 million people, but the police officers had declined to 184,000…We had lost 15,000 officers,' he said. He said after that, he then approached President Cyril Ramaphosa to fund the training of new officers in three cycles of 10,000 every year, which restored the police numbers to 2010 levels. Cele lamented the declining morale in the police force, adding that in a month during his tenure, about 312 officers resigned. 'I called some of them to ask why. One warrant officer told me, 'When my daughter was born, I was a warrant officer. She's a graduate now, and I'm still a warrant officer,'' Cele said. Cele said meaningful crime reduction will require more community engagement. 'I don't care how many police you put on the street, if communities aren't part of safety and security, we won't win,' he said. 'These criminals are sons and husbands of people who live in those communities.' He expressed concern over South Africa's rates of gender-based violence (GBV). 'In just three months, 10,000 women are raped. Half of them are raped in their own homes, by their brothers, stepfathers, or other family members,' Cele said. 'Where are the police when a sibling rapes a sibling?' Cele also blamed undocumented immigrants as a serious concern. 'The worst part is, when they commit crime, they are untraceable and can easily disappear. That poses a major challenge,' he said. He said the entire security cluster needs to be strengthened to address the scale and complexity of South Africa's crime crisis. 'There's still a lot of work to do,' he said. IOL News
