POLITICS / 7 November 2016, 07:49am
Siyabonga Mkhwanazi, Baldwin Ndaba, Quinton Mtyala and Bongani Hans
Johannesburg - The Hawks have been given a stern warning as the groundswell of discontent against corruption and the abuse of state institutions to fight political battles grows louder.
In the latest indication that President Jacob Zuma's administration is facing a revolt on political and legal fronts, the ANC and SACP warned against the use of state organs to persecute opponents in government.
ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte and SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande at a Red October rally at the Saul Tsotetsi sports complex in Sebokeng on Sunday. Picture: Itumeleng English. Credit: INDEPENDENT MEDIA
Ironically, Zuma's predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, was accused of using state institutions, particularly the Scorpions, to go after comrades in the ruling ANC, including his then deputy, Zuma.
ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the Hawks should stay out of politics and focus on their mandate to fight crime and corruption.
This followed weekend media reports that the Hawks were again intending to charge Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan for fraud and that they were investigating ANC bigwigs Gwede Mantashe and Zweli Mkhize as well as Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas on state capture matters.
National Treasury spokesperson Yolisa Tyantsi declined to comment on the matter affecting Jonas, who in March last year blew the whistle on state capture. Mantashe and Mkhize could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
Kodwa said of the probe: "There is something nefarious about it. We would like to warn these state agencies, especially the Hawks, that they must not play into the political space because they will undermine their (own) credibility."
SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande said he knew the identity and political motives of the person who used the Hawks and National Prosecuting Authority in a bid to nail Gordhan, and lately, Mantashe.
"We know who is the person chasing Pravin. We have every detail of his plan. We will handle the information very carefully. Keeping quiet does not mean we do not have the information," he said.
Nzimande, speaking at the end of the SACP's Red October campaign in Sebokeng, appealed to the ANC, SACP, Cosatu and other alliance partners to rally behind Gordhan and Mantashe.
"The SACP wishes to say today: Enough is enough. No more!' We are today drawing a red line and we call upon the people of South Africa, especially the workers and the poor, to stop this rot and abuse of state organs for purposes of serving narrow accumulation agendas.
"As the SACP, we are prepared to fight this scourge in the same manner as we fought in defence of Comrade Jacob Zuma some 10 to 13 years ago, when we believed state organs were being used to pursue narrow political agendas.
"If we do not do so, all of us will be in the queue of being harassed for narrow political reasons. We must stop the plundering of our state resources and the use of its organs by a parasitic bourgeoisie."
Clearly endorsing the findings of former public protector advocate Thuli Madonsela in the "State of Capture" report, Nzimande urged Cosatu unions in state-owned entities to stop the rot.
And almost simultaneously, Public Works Minister Thulas Nxesi joined the fray, questioning the motives of the Hawks' investigation of Jonas, Mantashe and Mkhize.
"Who would have thought that Mantashe and Mkhize could be under investigation? Pravin's court case was withdrawn, and now we hear they want to charge him again," said Nxesi, speaking in Cape Town.
Nxesi, who is also the SACP's deputy national chairperson, said attempts to charge the three could only be interpreted as an attempt to discredit them ahead of the ANC's elective conference next year.
"Why do you want to discredit leaders? We fought the use of state organs to advance political battles," said Nxesi, "We must deal with corruption, whether it's by politician or public servant."
Mantashe and Mkhize could not be reached for comment over the investigation by the Hawks.
The uproar over state capture has split the ANC, with some calling for Zuma to go while his loyalists are defending him.
At the weekend, Zuma threw down the gauntlet to his opponents when he told thousands of ANC supporters at a victory rally in northern KwaZulu-Natal that he was not afraid of prison.
In a veiled attack on ANC veterans who have openly criticised his leadership style, Zuma urged ANC supporters not to allow certain people to undermine voters' decision to elect him to the position. "You took a decision - now there are people who want to change things, although they are few," the president said.
http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/tide-turning-as-hawks-warned-to-stay-out-of-politics-2087418