Critical South Africa Debates by Bryan Britton - HTML preview

IMPLOSION

The debates leading up to this moment in the history of South Africa, all have their apex on Friday March 31, 2017. The other side has won and it cannot be a coincidence that the first day of the new South Africa is April fool’s Day.

March 31, 2017 will be forever remembered as the day when Zuma fired Gordhan and his sidekick Jonas. The two true South Africans who resolutely defended the last bastions of democracy – the Treasury and the Public Investment Corporation.

The kleptocrats, looters, thieves and thugs have now assailed the ramparts and are about to rampage through the castle.

The soldiers who made the breach possible should however prepare to go back to their lowly billets. The loot will be shared by a small group of generals who mysteriously appeared, at the time of the breach, from out of the shadows.

In 1994 South Africa was welcomed with open arms back into the international community. It was the new poster boy for democracy, the triumph of right over wrong, good over evil and was regarded as the shining light of Africa. First world economy in third world Africa led to talk of a new gateway to the lost continent.

Some twenty three years later the country finds itself hostage to Zany Zimbabweans, Indian Gangsters, Chinese Communists, Russian Oligarchs, Homeless Kleptocrats, Brazilian Beggars, the ghost of Fidel Castro and anyone else prepared to open their purse for the greedy goat herder who runs the country.

How Zuma's firing of Gordhan severely damages South Africa

Ray Hartley

2017-03-31

We have stepped through the looking glass and we are now in another country, writes Ray Hartley

Against the advice of senior ANC leaders, business, his allies in Cosatu and the SACP and investors, President Jacob Zuma has fired finance minister, Pravin Gordhan.

Make no mistake this is a turning point for the country and the ANC. 

For the country, a ratings downgrade and junk status looms. This means that the cost of borrowing is about to go through the roof. This will raise the price of everything and add to the cost of investment in the South African economy.

The currency is likely to be severely battered as the downgrade forces funds to sell South African bonds and assets. 

Government debt will rise significantly, reducing government's ability to allocate funds to its programmes as more and more money has to go to servicing debt.

For government, the implications are enormous. The Treasury will lose its credibility as it becomes a clearing house for looting.

Gordhan will go and a new minister and 'advisors' will move in, leading to an exodus of the brains trust that has held the line for the past two decades.

Banks will come under severe pressure over the closure of the Gupta accounts and you can expect regulators to be taken over and turned into tools used by Zuma's cronies to settle scores and create enrichment opportunities.

Expect a Gupta bank to be approved and then expect it to place itself in the middle of any major government financial activity.

For the ANC, the ramifications are serious. The party's electoral support will enter terminal decline as it loses the last of its support in the middle class and among workers, who will bear the brunt of a tanking economy.

A range of ANC leaders will now go into open rebellion against Zuma who may find himself challenged in Parliament which has begun to take a critical view of his presidency.

Zuma will face a vote of no confidence and it is no longer a sure thing that the ANC's MPs will all be whipped into line, especially if a secret ballot is allowed.

The party's leadership will be Zuma's next target as he seeks to shut down dissent and shore up his ability to secure the position of his successor - or an extended term for himself - at the party's December conference.

Expect a serious attack on Ramaphosa in an effort to discredit him ahead of the conference.

In short, we have stepped through the looking glass and we are now in another country.

All the Ministers Who Were Fired By Zuma

Staff Reporter

31/03/2017 

Pravin Gordhan was not the only casualty of 'Black Friday'. President Jacob Zuma emptied his Cabinet of many critical members.

While all the news focused on the axing of Pravin Gordhan, the former finance minister was not the only one to fall entirely out of the Cabinet. These are those who lost their positions and were not moved sideways:

Pravin Gordhan

After months of strife, which included a bizarre set of questions sent by the Hawks, the former finance minister was finally deposed, allegedly on the strength of an intelligence report compiled for President Jacob Zuma which claimed that he was secretly meeting with people overseas to plan an "overthrow of the state."

Derek Hanekom

The former tourism minister has been one of Zuma's strongest critics. Last year, following a string of scandals and a poor local elections campaign, he led a failed revolt against the president in the African National Congress' national executive committee. He was backed by Thembelani Nxesi, Aaron Motsoaledi and Jackson Mthembu.

Ngoako Ramatlhodi

As minister of mineral resources, he was one of the people who stepped forward to confirm that he had been approached by representatives of the Gupta family. He was quickly moved aside for Mosebenzi Zwane, and sent to the public service and administration portfolio.

Dipuo Peters

Peters has been the minister in charge while several state-owned enterprise scandals rolled on, and on. She shut down a probe into the various dodgy deals surrounding the Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa) last year, and most recently dissolved the entire board over the controversy. (Some of the board members are suing her in court.) She also pulled the same move on the Airports Company South Africa board.

Tina Joemat-Pettersson

The energy minister's case is a strange one. A staunch defender of Zuma, she was in charge of easing the lucrative nuclear deal through the various processes, but couldn't do it. She's been replaced by Mmamoloko Kubayi, one of the members of Parliament who greenlighted former police minister Nathi Nhleko's discredited Nkandla report.

The fired deputy ministers:

Mcebisi Jonas

Rejoice Thizwilondi Mabudafhasi

Thandi Tobias-Pokolo