Immediately after the ANC’s National Working Committee meeting, Gwede Mantashe told South Africans that: “it was unfortunate that some leaders had used an intelligence report as a reason for Gordhan's dismissal.” Mantashe who somersaulted on his earlier disagreement on Zuma’s decision to cleanse National Treasury, also said: “the intelligence report is a complicated matter”.
Immediately after the ANC’s National Working Committee meeting, Gwede Mantashe told South Africans that: “it was unfortunate that some leaders had used an intelligence report as a reason for Gordhan's dismissal.” Mantashe who somersaulted on his earlier disagreement on Zuma’s decision to cleanse National Treasury, also said: “the intelligence report is a complicated matter”.
Mantashe didn’t explain to South Africans what’s so complicated about the intelligence report. Strangely, before and after Zuma’s decision to dismiss the finance ministers, the ANC’s other Gupta controlled “mouthpiece”, ANN7 extensively reported on the intelligence report.
Responding to the intelligence report, Beki Cele (former National Police Commissioner) said: “The intelligence report that I saw, having worked with these structures [as national police commissioner], is amampunge. But it is always so. I have suffered in something that was called an intelligence report myself.”
This is dangerous politics at play with the potential to destroy people and the ANC itself. It’s a direct threat to our constitutional democracy that was attained through sacrifice. The former oppressive Nationalist Party used similar tactics and strategies against liberation movements. If indeed Zuma used this dangerous tactic, the ANC membership and country is entitled to demand accountability from its leadership. Parliament must ensure that this issue is properly investigated and those behind the compilation of the intelligence report must be brought to book.
In countries such as Russia, India, China and elsewhere, proponents of constitutional democracy have been silenced through the use of unconstitutional, unconventional and draconian tactics. This is exactly what South Africans including ANC members would experience for a long time if the ANC isn’t fixed from the inside.
To understand how the Indian government used draconian tactics against its own citizens, I suggest that ANC members read a report titled, ‘Stifling Dissent, Criminalization of Peaceful Expression in India (16th May 2016)’[1]
Who commissioned the intelligence report? On 6 April, News24 reported that ‘friends’ of Guptas compiled ‘Gordhan intelligence document’.[2] News24 reported that Zehir Omar, a lawyer for the Society for the Protection of our Constitution (SPOC), told News24 that the society – which has its own “intelligence unit” – received information from “Indian, Iranian and Russian intelligence agencies”. According to this information, international financial institutions were planning to undermine President Jacob Zuma’s government while Gordhan and his deputy, Mcebisi Jonas, were on an international investor road show.
The ANC and government didn’t deny or confirm the existence of the report[3]. The following passage from the Daily Maverick is quite interesting: “’Operation Check Mate’ in 2017 has gone unchallenged, and was used to trigger a wide-reaching reshuffle of the executive, is a sign the influence of so-called intelligence reports of dubious origin amid the increasing securocrat attitudes of the Zuma administration. This highlights the changes in South Africa’s constitutional democracy.”
It is on public record that the document claims the finance ministry was opposing the president and had “the support of many in the ANC and other parties to force the President out”. Or as it is put: “By having them all stand together they are attending [sic]to show unity so that the UK and USA banks will join in with the South African banks Against [sic]the President.”
In chess language ‘checkmate’ means “a situation in chess in which a player loses the game because that player's king is in a position from which it cannot escape.” Gordhan, Jonas and others are real examples of “Operation Check Mate”.
Since when it is permissible for the ‘Society for the Protection of our Constitution (SPOC)’ or any other organisation to conduct intelligence work on behalf of the state? SPOC is an NGO supported by the Guptas. I hope SPOC is indeed an NGO and not a proxy for the state.
If Zuma and his loyalists strongly believed that Gordhan, Jonas and others have been implicated in attempts to effect “regime change” or to “overthrow the state” or “committed treason” with support from “white monopoly capital”, why were they not immediately arrested when they landed at OR Tambo International Airport? In our country, we’ve laws called, the ‘Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act (2004)’ and ‘Criminal Procedures Act (1977)[4]. These laws were introduced to prevent people from committing treason against the state. The notion that Gordhan, Jonas and others intended to commit treason is something that can’t be left unchallenged.
Forget about what Mantashe said about the broken relationship between Zuma and Gordhan. South Africans aren’t fools. On the intelligence document, “Omar admit that the two documents share many similarities.” Responding to the insinuations, Zuma and many of his loyalists said that people must not be confused by “white monopoly capital”.
With Zuma safely cocooned from being recalled, it’s now up to Parliament to show South Africans and particularly aggrieved ANC members that Parliament will hold the executive accountable on the ‘intelligence report. The alleged undue influence of the Guptas[5] on government and ANC must also be subjected to thorough investigation. This parasitic relationship must be brought to a speedy end.
The ANC-Gupta connection can’t expect South Africans to keep quiet when the Republic is broken down by people who masquerade as agents of change and revolutionaries. The ANC has failed the nation. It’s now up to Parliament to exercise its constitutional obligations. Zuma is going nowhere. Opposition parties, trade unions, civil society organisations must use Parliament, laws and courts to defend the Republic from being broken down. For the sake of the country and our children, Parliament must rescue our country.
[1] https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/05/24/stifling-dissent/criminalization-peaceful-expression-india
[2] http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/exclusive-friends-of-guptas-compiled-gordhan-intelligence-document-20170406
[3] http://www.702.co.za/articles/250330/anc-top-6-divided-on-zuma-s-doggy-intelligence-report-against-gordhan & https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-03-31-reshuffle-chronicles-intelligence-reports-no-securocrats-toolbox-should-ever-be-without-them/#.WOdeZGclHIU
[4] http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAFSHC/2013/53.html
[5] https://www.pressreader.com/swaziland/swazi-observer/20160411/282119225700242
