It’s time for Cyril to act decisively

The VBS Bank scandal – if the allegations are correct, that is – shows that, in South Africa, looting knows no particular political or ideological boundaries.

But while much of the comment has been about the EFF and the alleged links to it through its deputy president, Floyd Shivambu, whose brother Brian was allegedly the beneficiary of a R16 million transfer from the bank, it is the ruling ANC which is deeply involved.

Over the weekend, reports emerged that President Cyril Ramaphosa was well aware of what was happening at the bank when he was deputy president of the ANC – but that he did nothing about it.

Political experts believe that, at the time he knew about the thieving, Ramaphosa had already resolved to challenge president Jacob Zuma for the leadership of the ANC.

These experts believe that, such was Zuma’s power within the organisation, that Ramaphosa would have felt he was not strong enough to make his move.

That may well be a correct assessment, because even at the Nasrec electoral conference last year, Ramaphosa only triumphed by the narrowest of margins.

So, given the situation and the pressure he was under – as well as the fact that he was clearly playing the long political game – it is perhaps unreasonable to think Ramaphosa should have made the sort of public stand against Zuma and corruption that his comrades Pravin Gordhan, Mcebisi Jonas and Vytjie Mentor did.

Also, given what has happened since – the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture as well as the Reserve Bank’s move on VBS which led to the exposure of the looting – Ramaphosa has definitely shown his commitment to clean governance.

What he needs to do now, however, is follow that up with decisive action on those members of the ANC involved in the VBS looting.

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