POLITICAL analyst Lukhona Mnguni says as South Africans, we must ask the necessary question on whether or not a Ramaphosa president would not be an instance of “out with the Guptas and in with the Motsepes”.
Both Ramaphosa and Jeff Radede who are running for the ANC Presidency are brothers-in-law to Patrice Motsepe (the richest black person in the country). Forbes ranks Ramaphosa in the top 15 richest people in the country.
Mnguni, who was speaking at an event at the Diakonia Centre last week, titled Conversations @Diakonia: South Africa’ socio-political climate prospects for the future said: “The making of elites is often around complex familial ties and these elites tend to influence the operations of the state, through having trusted people in key positions of power in government in order to influence the regulatory frameworks of certain industries they are to do business in.We must then ask how we see the Motsepe family and avoid having the replacement of white elites with black elites that will still hold economic wealth for the preserve and benefit of a few in society – continuing our levels of inequality.”
While the presidential debate is topical in the country at the moment, Mnguni says the politicizing of the judiciary is an imminent threat to the country’s democracy, as it is the only arm of the state that is holding ground and playing its meaningful role, as envisaged by the constitution.
“An imminent threat is the possibility to have the judiciary politicized by having issues that should be resolved in the arena of politics relentlessly taken to court because of the dysfunctional nature of our political space, be it within political parties or in institutions such as parliament. Already, we hear this discourse that politicizes the courts through such remarks as “judicial overreach” and “lawfare”. Thus, even if the courts are making rulings grounded in law, the popular narrative in the public is driven by attempts to accuse the courts of being politically bias and serving the interests of an opposition that is already accused of lawfare and forcing to govern through the courts. This is a toxic emergence that must be nipped in the bud by society, confirming the role of our courts and encouraging that the arena of politics be restored to its rightful place,” he said.
In conclusion Mnguni said “We must fight to rebuild this country today for the sake of humanity, to prevent another crime against humanity from occurring on our shores. The present day ANC has demonstrated an inability to listen to veterans; it has an allergic reaction to the truth from religious leaders; it has long cast thinkers and intellectuals to the shadows and it has defined civil society and popular movements fighting for social justice as entities possibly leading a colour revolution sponsored by foreign powers,”
