Madonsela says don’t ignore the elephant wreaking ‘havoc’ in the room

On Friday, former public protector Thuli Madonsela tweeted that ignoring an “elephant in the room does not make it go away. It simply enables the elephant to [wreak] havoc on your precious belongings.”

Many of her followers interpreted the tweet to mean that the ANC was ignoring its primary problem, President Jacob Zuma. Her timeline was filled with tweets about state capture, the Guptas, corruption and the troubles of the ANC.

She also tweeted that excuses were not good enough.

Although secretary-general Gwede Mantashe released a document on Friday admitting serious problems in the ANC, the document clearly skirted national unhappiness with the president, who has been implicated as being central to state capture allegations with the Gupta family.

Last week Madonsela told The Citizen that she felt President Jacob Zuma was “either oblivious or unconcerned” about the various issues plaguing the country – including serious and continually growing allegations of state capture.

In pleading for swift action, Madonsela said that while “the country is in bad shape”, Zuma also seemed “unaware” that such a level of uncertainty and discontent was a threat to national peace, stability and, ultimately, democracy.

She further urged Zuma to institute a commission of inquiry as stipulated in her report into state capture, released as she ended her term last year.

“Many top leaders in government, political parties and civil society believe this to be so, and are working hard to get South Africa on track in the pursuit of the South Africa of our dreams.

“Based on his public utterances, President Zuma appears to be either oblivious or unconcerned about the enormous social, economic, political, governance and ethical challenges confronting this great nation at the moment.”

If state capture allegations and the evidence supporting it were not acted on fast, Madonsela pointed out, “it may be too late to arrest the rot, should such rot indeed be there”.

Madonsela said she was left “surprised and confused” by Zuma’s response to the leaked Gupta emails, which point to large-scale corruption and state capture by the controversial Gupta family.

“The emails provide stronger evidencing establishing a prima facie case of grand corruption involving corrupt influencing of state appointments, regulatory processes, contracts by the Gupta family and the president’s son [Duduzane] through extending various forms of gratification or bribes to state functionaries.

“I expected him to act immediately to appoint the judicial commission of inquiry he has been objecting to, to confirm the evidence or clear the names of implicated people. His continuation as if things are normal is rather confusing.”

South Africans no longer trust the African National Congress, which is seen as corrupt and its leaders aloof and arrogant, the party’s latest organisational report shows.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe presented the report at a closed session of the ANC national policy conference now under way in Johannesburg before briefing journalists late on Friday. The report diagnoses the troubled governing party.