I spent a productive hour yesterday discussing Helen Zille’s new book Go Woke: Go Broke with the Iron Lady of SA politics. A perfect follow-up to the equally enriching time spent reading my $11 investment (via Kindle). Among the themes is how the ANC’s elite-enriching Cadre Deployment strategy is the root cause of corruption that’s seemingly endemic in SA.
Read more: Alec Hogg: Guptas, Essa added to the UK’s Sanctions list
The interview’s timing was opportune. Yesterday, SA’s national treasure called Raymond Zondo (above) proved Zille’s point while questioning Cyril Ramaphosa at the State Capture commission. CR did himself no favours trying to justify the rotten practice by claiming Maggie Thatcher – and others – did the same thing.
___STEADY_PAYWALL___
From this flimsy base came Ramaphosa’s assertion that “Cadre deployment cannot be faulted in principle; it is a common feature of democratic practice around the world.” Say what? So, despite it facilitating plundering that by CR’s own calculations cost taxpayers almost a trillion rand, Ramaphosa continues defending the indefensible.
Read more: Jackie Cameron: Dogs: A money-laundering currency
Zille joins the dots magnificently in her book, reminding us Cadre Deployment was adopted as official policy at the ANC’s Mafikeng Conference in 1997. The largesse-dispensing national Deployment Committee was created in 1998, chaired first by Zuma and later, for four years, by Ramaphosa himself. And many of us believed lunatics had stopped running the asylum.
- PS Another splendid webinar for you at noon today. I’m hosting an “explainer” on SA’s 12J tax incentive which disappears at the end of June. To understand how you can legally save a chunk of tax by making a sensible investment into pre-qualified companies in growing sectors (we’ve got five options for you to choose from), here’s the link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4402305334105838352
For your listening and viewing pleasure
Latest audio on BizNews Radio… (click on the link to access)
- BPH: Chris Logan; Irnest Kaplan on US tech earnings; Paul O’Sullivan on Mike Lomas – Group Five CEO nailed for Eskom corruption; Revego IPO
- FB: Ramaphosa claims DA also guilty of cadre deployment; SA to get Covid vaccines from Russia, China; Pepkor
- TAHS: Brad Barritt: Leadership and Life lessons from Saracen’s leader
- “We see a lot of greed in the market”, says GM of Luno Africa, SA’s leading crypto platform
Latest videos on BizNews TV… (subscribe on YouTube and daily at 5:30pm get to see all the studio action of BizNews Power Hour)
- BizNews Share Portfolio – Monthly update with Alec Hogg
- What are non-fungible tokens (NFT)? Rob Hersov and Josh Minsk explain
