A story of pigs and troughs

Given that South Africa’s political landscape has been, on occasion, likened to that in George Orwell’s seminal novel Animal Farm, perhaps it is apt that farmyard metaphors are creeping into the tale of the collapse of the state capture project.

So, just as the chickens finally came home to roost for Jacob Zuma last week when he was forced to resign from the ANC, the other chickens – the Gupta family and Zuma’s son, Duduzane – appeared to have flown the coop, possibly avoiding arrest by The Hawks in connection with various alleged illegalities.

What is really stunning in all this is the speed at which it is happening. Six months ago, no-one would have believed you if you had recounted to them the events of the past week. Zuma was large and in charge.

Even though he was stepping down as ANC president, his anointed successor, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, was being pushed hard ahead of the December elective conference.

The Gupta family and its stooges and propaganda arms were arrogantly peddling the narrative of white monopoly capital.

It looked as though the Zuma dynasty would not only survive but thrive, leach-like, sucking the life out of the body of South Africa.

Now that Cyril Ramaphosa is president, Zuma’s allies have been somersaulting like Olympic gymnasts, and in the dark days out of office, his friends are, indeed, few.

Without having to look over their shoulders for Number One, law enforcement agencies are finally doing their jobs and unravelling the evil empire of state capture.

And Ramaphosa has indicated that this perversion of the national democratic revolution will not be allowed to happen again.

To use another animal metaphor: the pigs will be chased away from the troughs.

//