The year may still be in its infancy but we have already witnessed turbulent events in South Africa and one can only wonder what the rest of 2022 has in store for the country.
On the very first day of the year, South Africa laid to rest the much-loved Nobel Laureate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
Before the tears could dry Parliament went up in flames in Cape Town, followed by the eagerly awaited hand over, of the first (of three parts) State Capture Report and alas the African National Congresss (ANC) proceedings, which climaxed with their 50th edition of the January 8th Statement.
On Sunday morning of 2nd January 2022, it was discovered that Parliament was ablaze. An investigation is underway, to establish details.
Fellow South Africans however must not be fooled, by the diversion paid to the court proceedings of the homeless suspected arsonist Zandile Christmas Mafe.
Attention must instead focus, on officials of safety and security. Claims of dereliction of duty, under the helm of the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Patricia de Lille, because amongst others, parliament is no longer insured, are quite telling.
Although not all government officials are politically affiliated to the ANC, Patricia de Lille heads the Good Party yet serves in an ANC-led government.
So her flaws as a minister, are attached to the ANC government.
In defence of ANC, however, part of its renewal as we have witnessed from the coalition era recently ushered in since the results of the Local Government elections, in November 2021, is the necessity to ponder about improving relationships with other political parties.
The latter point is vital because the ANCs January 8th statement of 2022, emphasised their safeguarding of democratic gains.
The ANC governments poor service delivery and malfeasance since 1994, exposes the aforesaid remark as part of ANCs meaningless rhetoric.
Former president Jacob Zumas words were deceptive, that “ANC will rule until Jesus Christ comes back”.
For evidence that Jesus has returned, look no further than the ANCs decline, to below the 50% mark in the Local Government Elections (LGE) of November 2021 and South Africa witnessing the lowest voter turnout rate, since 1994.
That arson attack on Parliament (a National Key Point) also demands accountability, from the new Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqkakula, as the repair and reconstruction bill is will cost the state coffers a rumoured whopping R1 billion.
Then on Tuesday morning the 4th of January 2022, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, finally submitted to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the first part (comprising 874 pages) of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry Report on State Capture.
This was observable after five extensions, estimated to cost a whopping R1 billion from state coffers.
We must pause and just ponder about such wasteful expenditure.
The broader public paid less attention, to the fact that the latter handover, took place amidst the backdrop, of a legal challenge by the public interest group Democracy in Action, led by Thabo Mtsweni.
That legal challenge was dismissed and struck off the roll with costs, by Judge Avrielle Maier-Frawley, at the Johannesburg high court.
I join those eagerly awaiting, the outstanding two reports of the Judicial Commission, due out by 31st January 2022 and 28th February 2002.
Later, on the same Tuesday of the 4th of January 2022, the ANCs National Executive Committee (NEC) convened to wrap up their last-minute preparations, for the looming January 8th Statement of 2022.
All NEC members were then expected to arrive in Polokwane, Limpopo on Wednesday the 5th of January 2022.
On Thursday morning, the 6th of January 2022, an ANC media briefing was hosted, at the ANCs Polokwane office, on “the state of readiness to host the ANCs January 8th Statement of 2022“.
In short, the ANC media team assured all and sundry of their readiness.
The interferences observed on the trail of President Ramaphosas itinerary proved otherwise.
Notable instances of hindrances included, the subsequently botched Lilian Ngoyi Memorial lecture, supposedly due to the ANC Womens league failure, to abide by Covid-19 regulations.
Thats strike one! On Friday the 7th of January, President Ramaphosa was compelled to address the Peter Mokaba Memorial lecture to the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) from a van, as ANCYL members complained that the Polokwane Council chambers (the designated venue) were too small.
Thats strike two! Later that day at 7 pm, he addressed the now-infamous gala dinner, due to lights mysteriously going off, where pledges were made as part of ANC fundraising efforts.
His address ended in darkness and along with deputy president David Mabuza, they were whisked off.
Thats strike three!
This left ANC treasurer-general and acting Secretary-General Paul Mashatile (Ace Magashule is currently suspended and Jessie Duarte has been sick since late November 2021, from gastrointestinal complications), to allay any security fears to fellow comrades and donors.
Mashatile assured his audience that what they were witnessing was standard security procedure, in such instances.
Predictably, Police Minister Bheki Cele said “an investigation” would ensue.
Elsewhere on the same Friday, 7 January 2022, ANC NEC member Lindiwe Sisulus now infamous article was published under the title “Hi Mzansi have we seen justice?”
It was, for the most part, ignored until Deputy Chief Justice Zondo responded to it and observant skeptics began linking it, with the upcoming ANCs presidential contest in December.
By all indications the unofficial race, to lead the charterists has begun.
By the time of the climax of the first week of 2022, President Ramaphosas delivered a jaded January 8th Statement, to 2 000 members of the ANC, who made up the physical audience at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Limpopo.
It was explicated that the physical attendance of ANC delegates, was limited for two reasons.
The first reason was to avoid ANCs 110th milestone from being a super spreader event, amidst the fourth wave a la the Omicron variant.
The second reason is best explained, in the words of the ANCs NEC member Nomvula Mokonyane (in that earlier stated media briefing), that the ANCs [birthday] party could not go overboard in terms of celebration expenses, as many ANC staffers were still not paid salaries and benefits.
ANCs misappropriation of funds, among others is due to what William Gumede (see pg. 7 of Mail & Guardian January 7-13 2022) sedately diagnosed, as stemming from the “organisational culture” of ANC, which preceded Oliver Tambos initial January 8 Statement delivered in 1972 in Lusaka, Angola.
This first week of 2022 insinuates, that we must anticipate a turbulent year ahead in Azania.
* Dr. Tshepo Mvulane Moloi
Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies and Research Associate – African Center for Epistemology and Philosophy of Science
