South Africa being fed damn lies by ruling party

21 December 2015

Congress of the People is angered by the deceitful charade that the ruling party is perpetrating in respect of President Zuma’s axing of Nhlanha Nene as Minister of Finance; and replacing him with David van Rooyen before back-pedalling to prevent a real financial meltdown.

Former Minister Manuel expressed how perplexed he was to read in last week’s Saturday Star the revelation of van Rooyen’s brother as well of his van Rooyen’s childhood friend, Gaddafi Rabotapthat, that they had previous knowledge of his impending appointment as Minister of Finance. This is an astounding and incriminating piece of information.

But the Minister in the Presidency said that he did not know anything. Like Alice in Wonderland, things have become “curiouser and curiouser” with Minister Jeff Hadebe categorically stating in the post cabinet briefing that neither he nor his cabinet colleagues knew anything about Nene's axing which occurred soon after the cabinet meeting had concluded. Nene certainly did not know and was was completely taken aback at his axing. It is clear that they were all taken aback as Hadebe confessed at the time.

Yet, subsequent to his categorical denial, Jeff Hadebe sat docilely next to Jessie Duarte who asserted that top ANC officials were indeed consulted about the replacement of Nene by van Rooyen and that the top officials had only very minor reservations and were in agreement with Zuma. Thereby hangs a very curious and perplexing tale also.

Even more strangely, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa who was also astounded by the decision and who told his staff he knew nothing about the axing of Nene and who remained studiously and discreetly silent for several days thereafter, now sheepishly and unconvincingly gives out that he was consulted. If so, it calls into question his folly and lack of judgment for going along with Zuma.

While the nation is being lied to in the face, Sunday Times noted that Ben Martins, MP, lawyer and poet, had tweeted, “Leaders are a liability when they underwhelm consistently and when their lack of judgment and principles give them the immoral high ground.”  That should have been mires them in an immoral cesspool to be more accurate. Martins and Mashatile know very well, as former ministers, how underwhelming Zuma’s leadership has been and how immoral. Martins, Gordhan and Nene all were axed or shafted sideways for their opposition to the nuclear deal. Dudu Myeni, from what we glean in the public domain was very likely the “y” factor in Nene’s axing. Ministers who crossed her previously fell off their horses. Trevor Manuel believes that there was an outside hand in Nene's axing.

Never in the history of South Africa has one man done so much to wreck so many institutions and the economy of South Africa in so short a time and with so much support from the ruling party with such devastating effect. The ruling party has brought misery and hardship to so many for no reason whatsoever. Never also has one man committed so many criminal offences in our country and not being prosecuted for any of them. Never, furthermore, has one man done so much to create a mighty mountain of debt for the nation and leave it all for the new and succeeding generations to pay off. Never in the history of South Africa will any President do as much as President Zuma to damage and negate the enormous legacy of Nelson Mandela. Never again will a President do as much as President Zuma to splinter the ANC and unions as President Zuma has done. What he does and what he says spells damage to the government and to South Africa.

As Barney Mthombothi noted, President Zuma’s action of dismissing Nhlanha Nene, has torn into “shreds the compact between not only the government and its people but with the international community” as well. He has caused the bond of trust to unravel all around.

President Zuma and his one-eyed apologists as Mthombothi characterises them have caused South Africa to regress at an alarming speed. Worst of all, the spineless leaders of the ruling party are feeding us lies, blatant lies and damn lies with a straight face.  

Issued by Dennis Bloem, Spokesperson, COPE, 21 December 2015