Busisiwe, like Zuma, likes to sneak around at midnight

One culture this country will not miss when we finally say good riddance to the current administration is the making of public announcements at midnight.

Most of us were brought up to know that only those with something to hide sneak around in the dead of the night.

The presidency has been joined in its culture of nocturnal activities by a once very important office: the public protector.

Sadly, her late-night announcement differed from the presidency’s in that the former’s have changed the course of this country (for the worse), while her announcement said very little – if anything at all.

“The office of the public protector has announced that it will be conducting a preliminary investigation to ascertain whether there is merit in some of the allegations that have been published amid the #GuptaLeaks saga.”

Sigh, the Beloved Country.

If there’s an office in this country that has kept quiet in the midst of a storm that has seen the country’s governance move into the hands of a private family, it is Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s. And then the office comes up with “a preliminary investigation to ascertain merits”? The office might as well have announced “intentions to play an obfuscatory role in the state capture project”.

There are instances in which silence speaks much louder than words and the silence of the public protector when Treasury was eventually handed over to a faction of the ruling party controlled by the Guptas was very telling.

Her silence told us very loudly that the country being downgraded to junk status due to selfish and questionable political decisions is none of her concern. The office has clearly told the taxpayers they must look elsewhere for protection from corrupt public officials.

In fact, the taxpayer must now worry about the effect of this “preliminary investigation to ascertain merits”.

Could this investigation about nothing actually serve to shield those implicated in the looting of billions? Can the taxpayer trust that the aim is not to hinder other avenues that are being pursued to investigate state capture?

We must not be fooled into thinking that an investigation to ascertain merits is proof of how thorough the office is. Let’s not forget Mkhwebane is an advocate. The avalanche of information on state capture flowing in the public domain does not require a preliminary anything.

The fact that none of the individuals implicated in the e-mails has chosen to take legal action against those publications leaking these e-mails should be grounds enough for an advocate to decide there are indeed merits to the allegations.

The chief protagonists, the Guptas, President Jacob Zuma and his son Duduzane have every right to legally challenge leaked e-mails. Their silence and weak denials speak volumes.

To have a state institution meant to protect the public potentially playing an obfuscatory role would be a double blow to the country’s efforts to deal with the looting that’s going on.

It would actually be much better if Mkhwebane curled back up into her shell of self-imposed silence. That way, we won’t have her impeding the progress of those who take taxpayers seriously.

Sydney Majoko.