By Alec Hogg
Hindsight is sure to prove it. But we already realise our founding fathers of the New SA knew what they were doing when writing freedom of the press into the new Constitution. Over the past few months society has been well served by those exposing corruption through the court of public opinion.
Without the media, we’d also know little about the young democracy’s new heroes like Thuli Madonsela, Pravin Gordhan, Sipho Pityana, Mcebisi Jonas, Vytjie Mentor and, most recently, Makhosi Khoza. Or an unlikely name that should be added to that roll of honour, former deputy finmin and incumbent chairman of the Development Bank of SA, Jabu Moleketi.
It was Moleketi’s testicular fortitude which may well prove the catalyst anti-corruption forces needed. Despite enormous pressure to yield, the DBSA last week triggered a clause in its debt agreement with Eskom around governance – insisting Gupta-linked FD Anoj Singh be dispatched or its R15bn loan would be called up.
Doing so would have allowed a similar action by SA’s big banks – sparking a re-run of 1985 Chase Manhattan action which caused the country’s debt standstill which led to the collapse of the Apartheid regime. Dots joined. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Bravo Jabu.
