It’s a long walk to honesty for ANC

Unsurprisingly, social media had a field day yesterday as President Cyril Ramaphosa did a last-minute duck out of a gathering to mark International Anti-Corruption Day.

There was plenty of snide commentary, too, on the fact the event was highlighted on official SA government channels.

It would seem, at first glance, that the government and Ramaphosa are extraordinarily bad at “reading the room” to understand that the entire country has had enough of ANC corruption, which has accelerated the country’s downward trajectory to failed state status.

Yet, at the risk of sounding like Ramaphosa’s praise singers, may we just ask one question: What would this country be like now if the faction loyal to Jacob Zuma had triumphed at the ANC elective conference five years ago?

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In response, we can say with certainty that the Commission of Inquiry in State Capture would not have been allowed to go as far as it did and would probably have been denied resources to do its investigative job properly.

The people piloting South African Airways into the ground would have grounded it even before Covid did.

The SA Revenue Service would continue to shield ANC looters and their fellow hyenas. The Guptas would have continued raking in taxpayer money hand over fist.

Eskom would actually have collapsed, leading to the hideously expensive deployment of polluting “powerships” at our ports as a stopgap measure while the Russians began a project to install nuclear power at a cost of trillions.

ALSO READ: Anti-Corruption Day: An opportunity for politicians to take action

If Ramaphosa had not won, there would have been no campaigns to deal with state capture, no prosecutions for the myriad schemes to steal our money.

However, the president seems to be at least be as dodgy as some of those he wants held accountable, because he won’t properly explain Phala Phala saga.

It’s a long walk to honesty … and many won’t make it.