South Africa P.I.G.: TRAVELGATE

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The Post-Mbeki Government Continues to Recycle Thugs and Thieves

IN A recent radio debate with analyst Steven Friedman, African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe spoke of the Polokwane revolution as a rejection of Thabo Mbeki’s ANC. No sooner had he uttered these words than the Dalai Lama was refused a visa to attend the 2010 Soccer World Cup peace conference.<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322477652246044738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlr-r8rAkDc_wKvXxzPLQNp_l55vmOmvb6rcyTNy3hyeN6PsUmfc5h5Utowm8jY7H0eLx5qTbMnqx27lX-l-16GkDK-wX4XjGl1Pqo9YcjN9YRCjmKIMRXT-npCX39hdd_e7pCN0WUi0H/s400/zumaditwitsbirds.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 372px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" />In true Mbeki tradition, the ANC’s alliance with rogue states such as Syria, Iran, Burma, Zimbabwe, Sudan, and now China, continues. To quote Tony Leon, the ANC government has yet to show us a dictator it does not like. Supporting China, SA’s R60bn-trading partner and new colonial master, is more important than promoting world peace. For both countries, respect for human rights is an obstacle to their attainment of a national democratic revolution — so stupidly affirmed by presidential spokesman, Thabo Masebe, on a national news bulletin. Unbelievably, Masebe said the presence of the Dalai Lama would just focus attention on relations between China and Tibet, and divert attention from the good things SA is doing. Yeah, right! Good things such as mowing down black foreign nationals and refugees fleeing their turbulent countries for SA . Or the hate crimes against Somali traders and xenophobic attacks against Zimbabweans and the Congolese. Should this not be construed as the natural outcome of the government consistently undermining, not supporting, Bishop Paul Verryn for doing what the government should be doing? South Africans, regrettably, have imbibed this extreme display of callousness towards foreign nationals upon whom they act out their animosity in situations where jobs and houses are scarce. Worryingly, the evidence that the Jacob Zuma presidency will be a continuation of the past is overwhelming. How does one explain the cover up to protect the 220 MPs involved in the travel scandal? About R370000 of taxpayers’ money has been used to pay for the debtors’ book of Bathong Travel, to obliterate all evidence of those involved. Parliament is going to do its damndest to make Travelgate go away, and instead of retrieving at least R6m it could have recovered for one aspect of the fraud, MPs have devised a master stroke to conceal their sins. To make matters worse, this cover up is disgustingly driven by Speaker Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde and her National Council of Provinces comrade, Mninawa Mahlangu, continuing in the footsteps of deputy president and former speaker, Baleka Mbete. News that Sheryl Cwele, wife of Minister of Intelligence Siyabonga Cwele, is allegedly involved in drug smuggling, fully explains the dip in public confidence in the ruling party. Surely President Kgalema Motlanthe should have suspended the minister of intelligence immediately, pending investigations. How can one command the intelligence forces of the country when intelligence on the home front is found wanting? Does this not remind us of former police commissioner and head of Interpol, Jackie Selebi, and his links with underworld figures such as Glenn Agliotti ? Where is the political accountability? Why do politicians want our vote when they do as they please anyway? Transparency is an alien concept, replaced by a culture of impunity that has become inscribed in the DNA of the body politic. The post-Mbeki government continues to recycle thugs and thieves, appointing them to leading positions in the state. No wonder election posters display bland slogans such as the ANC’s “Working Together We Can Do More”. The ANC can no longer in all honesty make promises they know they will fail to fulfil. As someone wisely said, “Politicians know it’s not necessary to fool all the people all of the time — just during election campaigns.” The time for taking our lives into our own hands is now. We would really be stupid if we vote to continue the status quo, which makes both the Congress of the People and the ANC ineligible. Let us make April 22 the beginning of the real transformation of SA by voting responsibly — otherwise we have no right to moan when things get worse. Rhoda Kadalie ~ Human rights activist ~ Cape Town

The Post-Mbeki Government Continues to Recycle Thugs and Thieves

IN A recent radio debate with analyst Steven Friedman, African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Gwede Mantashe spoke of the Polokwa...

12:07 PM

Life-sized comics

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7inteNnE7dR8K51YtD5MRhNoXhLCakwrwCjBKrE3JwNSncuvjLBbkhIiu7cynzdG5nqTfaPdxfQo_k9MhF_F8yjjpdN9ZAlZAW87VZp7yRm-tmungogZb2Y_dNTo0golk0fg7Sp1Owtkw/s1600-h/zuma-coon.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322676121082668770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7inteNnE7dR8K51YtD5MRhNoXhLCakwrwCjBKrE3JwNSncuvjLBbkhIiu7cynzdG5nqTfaPdxfQo_k9MhF_F8yjjpdN9ZAlZAW87VZp7yRm-tmungogZb2Y_dNTo0golk0fg7Sp1Owtkw/s320/zuma-coon.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 318px" /></a>Take a look at this excellent piece by a black writer in South Africa. He refers to various life-sized comic characters in our lives ... Yes, he pretty much sums up the mess of corruption and lies in this country very accurately. Black South African writer <a href="http://www.mg.co.za/columnist/rams-mabote">Rams Mabote</a> <a class="header" href="http://www.mg.co.za/" target="blank" title="Mail & Guardian">Mail & Guardian</a> When I was a young boy, our elders used to regale us with tales of the legends that lived among them. Like Spider-Man, Superman and Zorro in other worlds, the true identities our legends remained a mystery, but the legend of their work was always the talk of the town, wrapped mainly in admiration, coupled with mysticism. There were people such as Vera The Ghost, who hijacked men on their way home and only let them go back the next morning. Moferefere was a legendary troublemaker, a thorn in the skins of white rulers. But my favourite legend was Phunyukabemphethe (loosely translated meaning he who escapes when cornered). In those days when the life of a black man was cheap and always in danger, Phunyukabemphethe was the envy of most because he seemed to get the better of our rulers. When shebeens and other illegal watering holes were raided and busloads of men arrested for imbibing the white man's drink, our Phunyukabemphethe in cuffs and all, would mysteriously uncuff himself, alight a fast-moving pick-up truck and disappear. He would even leave the cuffs behind, though whether as a boast or as a courtesy to the police, I'm not sure. Phunyukabemphethe was known to evade heavily manned roadblocks when everyone knew that prison was a certainty for those on the wrong side of the law. Even when the black jacks -- the then pseudo metro police who worked for the discredited black municipalities -- raided homes in the dead of night to catch illegal dwellers, one minute Phunyukabemphethe would be fast asleep in bed and the next he would have vanished, his bed neatly made as if he'd never been there. If he lived in this day and age, Phunyukabemphethe would not need a jar of vaseline to escape from a maximum-security prison, presuming he got himself caught in the first place. He would just walk unnoticed and the cops would be left wondering where their prisoner had gone. Like all mythical heroes of our childhood, they have amazing longevity and are known to make a much-needed comeback, even if it is just for entertainment. Now Phunyukabemphethe has made his comeback and he has upped the tempo. Just the other day he cheated Parliament of millions of rands perfecting a fraudulent travel scheme. For years he stole public money through this scam unnoticed. But one day he was caught. In a saga later to be known as Travelgate, he was outed. Jail beckoned. But in his true style, out of nowhere, Phunyukabemphethe escaped. The matter was not only swept under the carpet, but the debt incurred -- thanks to his remarkable feats -- was wiped off the slate. Three years ago a high court judge sentenced Phunyukabemphethe to 15 years in jail for having paid large bribes to a sitting deputy president. No sooner had he arrived at his Durban prison than did Phunyukabemphethe miraculously escape to a hospital, living it up there for months on end. When officials got wind of where he was and were preparing to send him back to his cell, he escaped from the private ward to a lavish house in an exclusive suburb. Now we hear after eight years of the legal eagles trying to pin him down for accepting bribes and being involved in unsavoury business, the charges against Phunyukabemphethe may just be dropped. He has been in and out of court, once even on a rape charge, but nothing has stuck. True to form Phunyukabemphethe has continued to escape, leaving mouths agape again and again. Now, just to rub salt into the wounds of those who have sought to pin him down once and for all, Phunyukabemphethe is surely headed for the office of the president. Question is, will those that have persecuted him over the years escape his wrath? Our public officials have surely become the latter-day Phunyukabemphethe. Just when we think that wayward members of the party are cornered for one misdemeanour or another, they make a dash for it. We have had premiers lying, ministers blowing thousands on festive parties, spouses of officials eating straight from the government coffers, deputy presidents flying with friends to desert holiday destinations and parliamentarians sexually misbehaving. They have all walked scot-free. It appears to me that Phunyukabemphethe may just not be the kind of hero my elders spoke about. I have a funny feeling that when it is my turn to tell my children and grandchildren about the legend of Phunyukabemphethe, they will be so frightened they won't want the lights to be switched off at bedtime. Scary.

Life-sized comics

Take a look at this excellent piece by a black writer in South Africa. He refers to various life-sized comic characters in our lives ... Ye...

7:09 AM

Travelgate buried in hush-hush deal

Parliament buys up debtors book in a move to keep MPs’ names secret Parliament is to pay R370 000 to shut down the Travelgate saga — and thereby protect MPs implicated in the scandal from being sued. <ul><li><a href="http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/News/Article.aspx?id=785068">Travelgate MPs’ property confiscated</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=854640">Travelgate MPs ‘let off too lightly’</a> </li><li><a href="http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=544081">State is stalling, claim Travelgate fraud suspects</a></li></ul> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQ5_YMIrc9HZ-_Py7SkHgVbQ_BdjKsvzL7II6Lp91gjWOHQD_1PZGG1j1HeN_RI9kF7H91vMAiSxbfG71v1Qi8HLAFm2Zgh-mHLVJnNHkG7FzEr0QCDKVNjTm-dIsqm4tPZMyrwsmNMQ/s1600-h/Gwen-trvaelgate.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313462592609086818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFQ5_YMIrc9HZ-_Py7SkHgVbQ_BdjKsvzL7II6Lp91gjWOHQD_1PZGG1j1HeN_RI9kF7H91vMAiSxbfG71v1Qi8HLAFm2Zgh-mHLVJnNHkG7FzEr0QCDKVNjTm-dIsqm4tPZMyrwsmNMQ/s400/Gwen-trvaelgate.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" /></a>The R370 000 payment is to buy up the debtors book of one of the travel agencies involved — which will prevent the agency’s liquidators from suing for money owed to creditors. These creditors include parliament. The move has effectively brought relief to more than 60 MPs who were set to be sued by the liquidators of Bathong Travel after they ignored demands for payment. National Assembly speaker Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde.Arno Schippers of C&A Friedlander Attorneys, who represented Neethling Chartered Accountants in the Bathong liquidation, confirmed that the offer had been accepted by Bathong’s creditors, who include his client. He could not confirm the amount, but two well-placed sources put it at R370 000. “We found (the offer) acceptable. According to the agreement, parliament will be at liberty to pursue the claims,” Schippers said. Parliament has, however, indicated that MPs will not be taken to court to recover the money. In terms of the deal, he said, the R370 000 would be shared among the other creditors. Two senior ANC MPs familiar with the deal told the Sunday Times that parliament had bought the Bathong debtors book to prevent it from falling into the hands of people hostile to the ruling party and to the MPs involved. Parliamentary officials said National Assembly speaker Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde and National Council of Provinces chairman Mninwa Mahlangu disclosed the deal in a closed meeting with MPs last month. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lfBNxr7tFhkWjwZPy-TkReL6XtVt3h0S8z3w5kc05Y3qFXrFIrvIv1AKstnsHGRbpmfsY8Utj28EsQB_B8Y87nbN3Shsy-LX4e2RX17B7dczYiYSkOnwI3hkX6dkZYXuioqWBDTTp8Q/s1600-h/Mahlangu-travelgate.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313460193070510146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2lfBNxr7tFhkWjwZPy-TkReL6XtVt3h0S8z3w5kc05Y3qFXrFIrvIv1AKstnsHGRbpmfsY8Utj28EsQB_B8Y87nbN3Shsy-LX4e2RX17B7dczYiYSkOnwI3hkX6dkZYXuioqWBDTTp8Q/s320/Mahlangu-travelgate.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 141px" /></a>The meeting resolved that the MPs would not be sued for the money. It also decided that the deal should be kept under wraps. Parliament, the speaker and the NCOP chairman have for two weeks failed to respond to Sunday Times inquiries regarding the matter. National Council of Provinces chairman Mninwa Mahlangu The Sunday Times was unable to establish the total value of the outstanding debts in the book. However, court documents reveal that by 2007, liquidators had unearthed Bathong’s debtors book which recorded the names of 220 current and former MPs have been involved in “irregular” travel-voucher usage. This resulted in summonses totalling R4.3-million being issued. At that time, only 20 MPs had paid in full. Several others were still paying in instalments, and at least 60 refused to pay at all. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZB2UR2VpzCIT9ZyBS_dMlaLYsotb_InpqmBKoUMFsorngXyG6ND7UbQA86zy85k6aYPZVEZY536noyLeDd2SZj2vEce06i_MXUDxWdweLN4OPPxUsB14mOVrVC-qkErmugRPl952AE50/s1600-h/baleka.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313462980664998434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZB2UR2VpzCIT9ZyBS_dMlaLYsotb_InpqmBKoUMFsorngXyG6ND7UbQA86zy85k6aYPZVEZY536noyLeDd2SZj2vEce06i_MXUDxWdweLN4OPPxUsB14mOVrVC-qkErmugRPl952AE50/s200/baleka.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 133px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" /></a>Former National Assembly speaker and now deputy president Baleka Mbete was miffed when liquidators added more names to the original list of MPs after “reconstructing” more suspect travel invoices. When liquidators ran out of money to take MPs to court, parliament refused to fund the legal battle. Mbete said last year that this was because the MPs were being wrongly pursuedDeputy president and former speaker Baleka MbeteShe said the Travelgate matter should be finalised before the country’s fourth parliament is sworn in after next month’s elections. Lawyer Bernard Kurz, who once represented both parliament and the liquidators in the matter, confirmed that parliament had bought Bathong’s book. He said closing the door to legal action was not a good decision. He said parliament would miss out on recovering a potential R6-million suspected to be involved in one aspect of the fraud, which involved MPs booking two trips and cancelling one — while parliament was billed for both. It is thought the travel agents pocketed part of the ill-gotten money, and may have paid kickbacks to MPs. In May last year a notice was published in the Government Gazette citing parliament’s intention to push for a resolution, in a meeting of Bathong creditors, to stop the litigation against MPs. The notice sparked controversy, with C&A Friedlander calling it illegal.

Travelgate buried in hush-hush deal

Parliament buys up debtors book in a move to keep MPs’ names secret Parliament is to pay R370 000 to shut down the Travelgate saga — and the...

8:35 AM

ANC 'majority will be slashed' and allow for investigations into arms deal & Travelgate

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ6M2MKyMg-d8pAJJ9RtrxQ3B2TNJI92X1NKoHTYTjv5aZzFZFNq9andnfHEmyxjmD4cJZ1J46skpW1XfCfYmLF6ZMfdb_PorvJ6Ch3dUPuXAjb733ArrQ11682ffruQlkQ32ld6lH_Q/s1600-h/zuma6.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263067891060642642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZ6M2MKyMg-d8pAJJ9RtrxQ3B2TNJI92X1NKoHTYTjv5aZzFZFNq9andnfHEmyxjmD4cJZ1J46skpW1XfCfYmLF6ZMfdb_PorvJ6Ch3dUPuXAjb733ArrQ11682ffruQlkQ32ld6lH_Q/s400/zuma6.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 203px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px" /></a>While the ANC might win the elections next year, United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa is adamant that the party will no longer have a two-thirds majority in parliament. He was addressing a lively audience at the TUT/Pretoria News Public Lecture Series at the university's Pretoria campus on Tuesday night. According to Holomisa, the loss of the two-thirds majority will allow for the opening of investigations into the controversial arms deal and Travelgate, as the ANC has used its majority to block inquiries into the two issues. Holomisa described this as a healthy situation for the country's democracy. He said the rebellion that has occurred within the ruling party had not only divided the ANC, but had divided the country as well. "If they think Terror (Lekota) would be targeting only within the 600 000 card-holding ANC members, they are (fooling) themselves. "There are about 18 million voters out there and many of them are not happy with what has been happening," said Holomisa. He did not rule out forming a coalition with the breakaway movement led by the Lekota and former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa. "Whether we will go into a coalition with them will of course depend on how well they perform in the elections. "We have formed coalitions before, even with the ANC in Kwazulu-Natal because they were struggling to form a provincial government," said Holomisa. He attributed the current political crisis within the ANC to the controversial multi-billion rand arms deal that has seen ANC president Jacob Zuma fighting corruption charges. "Is it not ironic that both Zuma and former president Thabo Mbeki never got to finish their terms in office because of issues related to the arms deal? "It was controversial from the start because the White Paper by the parliament's defence review had made it clear that there was no immediate necessity to channel resources into arms. Instead it recommended that these resources be channelled towards the RDP," said Holomisa. Holomisa said the ruling party had justified the arms deal by saying it would create 65 000 permanent jobs and generate at least R4-billion in offsets and counter-trade. In reality, the cost of the deal had skyrocketed from an initial R29-billion to over R60-billion and costs were still mounting. "If this was the way of creating employment, why were poorer countries not just striking arms deals to create employment for their people?" he asked. Holomisa castigated ANC leaders like treasurer Mathews Phosa for making reckless statements about the country's economy. "He is not even in government but he was already assuring banks that they would be bailed out by the government if the current global economic crisis started to take its toll on South African banks," said Holomisa. Asked whether Zuma would be suitable as head of state, Holomisa said he could do well if he surrounded himself with better advisers than the ones he currently had. Holomisa asked why the ANC wanted a political solution to Zuma's legal woes while they maintained his innocence. "He even travelled to Mauritius to stop the use of evidence from documents against him, including a diary that does not even belong to him," he said.

ANC 'majority will be slashed' and allow for investigations into arms deal & Travelgate

While the ANC might win the elections next year, United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa is adamant that the party will no lo...

1:10 PM

South Africa P.I.G.

The Post-Mbeki Government Continues to Recycle Thugs and Thieves

Life-sized comics

Travelgate buried in hush-hush deal

ANC 'majority will be slashed' and allow for investigations into arms deal & Travelgate

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