Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad with power, said Charles Beard, building on an ancient proverb.
The US historian would have been spoilt for choice had he been alive in South Africa today, for there is plenty of madness in our land among those who wield power and those who imagine themselves powerful.
It’s like a bad reality TV show, minus the reality.
Let’s examine a few choice examples. Consider Mzwanele “Jimmy” Manyi, the self-styled “activist for transformation” who runs a one-man foundation and likes to tweet, like Donald Trump.
Last week, he tweeted that he wears the title “peacetime revolutionary” as a badge of honour. Manyi’s main occupation seems to be acting as a shill for the Guptas and performing as critic-in-chief of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
The record shows that Gordhan’s contribution to our democratic revolution began before peacetime. Fortunately, he can now rely on the expertise of someone unsullied by the struggle to lecture him about transformation.
Manyi is most upset that the finance minister announced in his budget speech a tax increase for rich South Africans (those earning more than R1.5-million per year) because it will affect the black middle class.
Raise your hand if you are black and you pocket R125000 or more per month: you can now join Manyi in the revolution against white monopoly capital.
All this talk of millions is exhausting, like President Jacob Zuma.
Speaking of millions, I am reminded of Collins Letsoalo, the recently fired acting CEO of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa).
Who gets fired from an acting position?
Very few people would have heard of Letsoalo until he graced the front pages of the Sunday Times at the end of February.
Mad with power, he instructed junior managers at the limping rail agency to increase his salary from R1.3-million to R5.9-million and demanded a chauffeur.
Somehow His Excellency lost the ability to drive when he became acting head of a state-owned company.
To the credit of the Prasa board, which has its own dubious record, they read Letsoalo the riot act. When he threatened to stay put, they locked him out of his office.
By the end of the week, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters had recalled him from Prasa.
Letsoalo may not have his millions, but what we do know for sure is that he has regained his driving skills and will forever have a reputation as a greedy pimple on the posterior of history.
He should give Manyi a call.
Which brings me to another former head of a state-owned enterprise.
We haven’t heard much from Brian Molefe, the former CEO of Eskom, but a lot has been said about him recently.
He was fingered in the public protector’s State of Capture report for having a rather cosy relationship with the Gupta brothers.
He denied this and cried.
For his troubles, the ANC installed him as an “honourable” member of parliament. The chutzpah!
But not before three branches of the ANC claimed Molefe as their member.
The party’s constitution says you can become a member of only one branch.
Like a tree, Molefe seems to have grown several branches.
Now the ANC banker, First National Bank, which collects a R12 annual membership fee from cadres on behalf of the party, is reportedly investigating a case of fraud related to Molefe’s membership.
In response, the ANC wants to meet with this representative of white monopoly capital to talk about Molefe.
You would think they would simply check their own party records.
Meanwhile, Molefe is warming the back benches of the ANC in parliament.
Comrade Molefe’s future is the subject of much speculation, including a deployment to the finance ministry where he will apparently deal with white monopoly capital once and for all. Manyi will be pleased.
The rest of us can merely recall that there is no honour among thieves.
But you’ve got to hand it to Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini. She knows power. She is on a mission to get South Africa its first woman president, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
She has also been holding an AK-47 to the heads of the Constitutional Court judges, hoping to force them to make legal an illegal contract between the South African Social Security Agency and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), a company responsible for distributing social grants.
Her collateral consisted of the 17 million citizens who rely on social grants to eat.
Dlamini sat on her hands for nearly three years, doing nothing about the court’s instruction to reissue the grants tender. And so we were at the precipice.
If Dlamini and her gang succeed, some ANC politicians are going to get very rich alongside CPS.
Dlamini’s surreal performance at the Sunday media briefing was confirmation that our alternative reality has now turned into a national nightmare. Who needs the man with the orange hair to scare the children? He’s a mere apprentice compared to this gang of thieves.
Palesa Morudu writes from Cape Town
Molefe, Dlamini and SA’s reality cheque
The US historian would have been spoilt for choice had he been alive in South Africa today, for there is plenty of madness in our land among those who wield power and those who imagine themselves powerful.
It’s like a bad reality TV show, minus the reality.
Let’s examine a few choice examples. Consider Mzwanele “Jimmy” Manyi, the self-styled “activist for transformation” who runs a one-man foundation and likes to tweet, like Donald Trump.
Last week, he tweeted that he wears the title “peacetime revolutionary” as a badge of honour. Manyi’s main occupation seems to be acting as a shill for the Guptas and performing as critic-in-chief of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
The record shows that Gordhan’s contribution to our democratic revolution began before peacetime. Fortunately, he can now rely on the expertise of someone unsullied by the struggle to lecture him about transformation.
Manyi is most upset that the finance minister announced in his budget speech a tax increase for rich South Africans (those earning more than R1.5-million per year) because it will affect the black middle class.
Raise your hand if you are black and you pocket R125000 or more per month: you can now join Manyi in the revolution against white monopoly capital.
All this talk of millions is exhausting, like President Jacob Zuma.
Speaking of millions, I am reminded of Collins Letsoalo, the recently fired acting CEO of the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa).
Who gets fired from an acting position?
Very few people would have heard of Letsoalo until he graced the front pages of the Sunday Times at the end of February.
Mad with power, he instructed junior managers at the limping rail agency to increase his salary from R1.3-million to R5.9-million and demanded a chauffeur.
Somehow His Excellency lost the ability to drive when he became acting head of a state-owned company.
To the credit of the Prasa board, which has its own dubious record, they read Letsoalo the riot act. When he threatened to stay put, they locked him out of his office.
By the end of the week, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters had recalled him from Prasa.
Letsoalo may not have his millions, but what we do know for sure is that he has regained his driving skills and will forever have a reputation as a greedy pimple on the posterior of history.
He should give Manyi a call.
Which brings me to another former head of a state-owned enterprise.
We haven’t heard much from Brian Molefe, the former CEO of Eskom, but a lot has been said about him recently.
He was fingered in the public protector’s State of Capture report for having a rather cosy relationship with the Gupta brothers.
He denied this and cried.
For his troubles, the ANC installed him as an “honourable” member of parliament. The chutzpah!
But not before three branches of the ANC claimed Molefe as their member.
The party’s constitution says you can become a member of only one branch.
Like a tree, Molefe seems to have grown several branches.
Now the ANC banker, First National Bank, which collects a R12 annual membership fee from cadres on behalf of the party, is reportedly investigating a case of fraud related to Molefe’s membership.
In response, the ANC wants to meet with this representative of white monopoly capital to talk about Molefe.
You would think they would simply check their own party records.
Meanwhile, Molefe is warming the back benches of the ANC in parliament.
Comrade Molefe’s future is the subject of much speculation, including a deployment to the finance ministry where he will apparently deal with white monopoly capital once and for all. Manyi will be pleased.
The rest of us can merely recall that there is no honour among thieves.
But you’ve got to hand it to Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini. She knows power. She is on a mission to get South Africa its first woman president, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
She has also been holding an AK-47 to the heads of the Constitutional Court judges, hoping to force them to make legal an illegal contract between the South African Social Security Agency and Cash Paymaster Services (CPS), a company responsible for distributing social grants.
Her collateral consisted of the 17 million citizens who rely on social grants to eat.
Dlamini sat on her hands for nearly three years, doing nothing about the court’s instruction to reissue the grants tender. And so we were at the precipice.
If Dlamini and her gang succeed, some ANC politicians are going to get very rich alongside CPS.
Dlamini’s surreal performance at the Sunday media briefing was confirmation that our alternative reality has now turned into a national nightmare. Who needs the man with the orange hair to scare the children? He’s a mere apprentice compared to this gang of thieves.
Palesa Morudu writes from Cape Town
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