Zondo and Mpofu, are they enemies or buddies?

What’s the true relationship between Judge Raymond Zondo and advocate Dali Mpofu?

What we’ve seen of the encounters during the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture there’s no love lost. In fact, at times their mutual dislike was palpable, despite the polite acknowledgement of the positions they each held.

“Mr Chair” and “My learned friend” rang false. Coupled with this, isn’t Mpofu still in for the high jump for professional misconduct towards Zondo at the inquiry? Then there’s Mpofu as a former chair of the dreaded Economic Freedom Fighters adding to the expected animosity.

With motormouth Julius Malema sharing the commissioners’ table at the chief justice interviews, Mpofu had back-up to put the squeeze on Zondo. With this in mind, I expected a heated confrontation between the two. But no. They waxed nostalgic, giggling their way through pleasant incidences of the past.

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A schoolboy reunion. Was this a weak moment when both slips showed? At that moment I liked what I saw: two good souls. However, the moment passed and the unexpected occurrence had my warped mind whirring. How genuine is the whole state capture shebang? Who says the exercise wasn’t a shrewd and strategic way of going through what looked like an authentic attempt at bringing the crooks to book?

It’s common knowledge that corruption runs deep and probably includes people at the very top. Even Jacob Zuma hinted as much. So, was the brief to the commission to go as far as it can, then let it take its course, but making sure
it’s at the speed of a tortoise. This then presupposes the judiciary, law enforcers and politicians are in cahoots.
Let’s face it, there’s enough evidence to start nailing the offenders with immediate effect.

But if this were to happen, the ANC would find it bankrupt of key players and be discredited by a citizenry for too long crying for competent and clean governance. Hopefully I’m way off the mark, mistaking an isolated incident of
camaraderie during the justice interviews among recognised opponents at loggerheads, as the real thing.

But I keep mulling over a quote I spotted in a UK magazine: “This government is the longest running farce in the country”.