4 thoughts on “Raymond Suttner, Can corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma be reinstated? (Polity video)”
Very infomative, but at the same time quite scary in terms of what further manipulations are still possible. The “loss of faith” in the administration of justice, I also observe on many other terrains spanning governance in general. Personally I take every statement by government with a pinch of salt, never gets excited by anything it promises or undertakes to do anymore, and always look for a possible fraud and/or corruption angle! I get the impression from following social media, that I am one of a growing number of reasonable South Africans starting to feel this way. The danger is that it leads to frustration, and these frustrations increasingly are vented by means of violent protests. The system of parliamentary democracy seems to be failing the citizenry on account of its subversion by no less a person than our president himself, as you so amply poitned out during the interview. And his example is now being emulated in many sferes of society at large.
In applying ones mind to possible solutions to this obvious problem, most have been tried but seem to be failing: * It does’t seem as if the electoral process is helpful in bringing about the changes necessary by means of regular free and fair elections. * You eloquently pointed out the manipulations possible regarding the administration of justice, so neither does the law itself seem to be offering what is hoped for. * Chapter 9 institutions are increasingly being revealed as far from the effective watchdogs they were supposed to be (vide Nkandla and the Motsoeneng case). * The parliamentary oversight committee structure is not achieving much more than a flood of DA press statements and letters to the President, speaker, chief whip of the ANC, some ministers etc. etc. * The media and social media are abuzz with exposés, accusations of corruption and abuse, and actual in-depth analyses of the creeping rot, but increasingly the government appears to just give it all a cold shoulder on the basis of the mandate received from 11 million voters (seems like they regard those votes as having given it a mandate to be corrupt and inefficient too!).
Which brings me to a chilling possible ‘conclusion’: The EFF’s strategy (a research topic on its own) is the only one I see left to bring about the change to the current malaise of ANC mismanagement of the country in so many ways. If the EFF leadership can resist being co-opted into the status quo, they will eventually have their ‘revolution’, which will be a much bigger watershed for South Africa than 1994. So far (since the inception of the EFF) they have been streets ahead of the other possible “instruments of change” I referred to above (after the various asterisks). The prospect is chilling for many reasons, but mostly because it will have replaced the ‘evil’ which is the current ANC, with what could possibly be a ‘greater evil’. (I am even frightening myself here, but I would like to invite responses and comments with a view to pointing out possible fallacies in my thinking and/or the elements or issues I have missed in my argument. Of course, the whole argument can be trashed by accusing me of building it on the wrong assumption, i.e. the assumption that the ANC government is failing in so many ways. But that would surely be flying agaist a lot of very informed opinion, in spite of the fact that eleven million opinions say I am wrong!).
Thanks Piet, for your comment. Since writing it the frustration with lack of accountability has found expression in a big way. †here cannot be an exhortation to EFF to behave with decorum when there is no respect for parliament on part of powers-that-be
Raymond, you are so right! I actually got goose pimples when the EFF incident took place just shortly AFTER I have watched your interview and have posted my comments! I actually now fear my own “predictions”. HeHe! One consolation, though, is that us South Africans have always been able to avert going into the abyss – and we have been damn close to it a few time, as you know. But in spite of this, people on the lunatic fringes can cause terrible havoc at the expense of the mass of reasonable citizens. And the world in general, and South Africa as well, have become dangerous and restless of late. But I am sure our own contributions and efforts will help to mitigate it somewhat. Your incredibly productive pen is valuable in bringing sense to the sometimes (apparently) senseless happenings in our weird and wonderful country.
Thanks again, Piet, for your feedback. We are at the abyss I think, so we need to find a way out. No easy route
Raymond Suttner 
Very infomative, but at the same time quite scary in terms of what further manipulations are still possible. The “loss of faith” in the administration of justice, I also observe on many other terrains spanning governance in general. Personally I take every statement by government with a pinch of salt, never gets excited by anything it promises or undertakes to do anymore, and always look for a possible fraud and/or corruption angle! I get the impression from following social media, that I am one of a growing number of reasonable South Africans starting to feel this way. The danger is that it leads to frustration, and these frustrations increasingly are vented by means of violent protests. The system of parliamentary democracy seems to be failing the citizenry on account of its subversion by no less a person than our president himself, as you so amply poitned out during the interview. And his example is now being emulated in many sferes of society at large.
In applying ones mind to possible solutions to this obvious problem, most have been tried but seem to be failing: * It does’t seem as if the electoral process is helpful in bringing about the changes necessary by means of regular free and fair elections. * You eloquently pointed out the manipulations possible regarding the administration of justice, so neither does the law itself seem to be offering what is hoped for. * Chapter 9 institutions are increasingly being revealed as far from the effective watchdogs they were supposed to be (vide Nkandla and the Motsoeneng case). * The parliamentary oversight committee structure is not achieving much more than a flood of DA press statements and letters to the President, speaker, chief whip of the ANC, some ministers etc. etc. * The media and social media are abuzz with exposés, accusations of corruption and abuse, and actual in-depth analyses of the creeping rot, but increasingly the government appears to just give it all a cold shoulder on the basis of the mandate received from 11 million voters (seems like they regard those votes as having given it a mandate to be corrupt and inefficient too!).
Which brings me to a chilling possible ‘conclusion’: The EFF’s strategy (a research topic on its own) is the only one I see left to bring about the change to the current malaise of ANC mismanagement of the country in so many ways. If the EFF leadership can resist being co-opted into the status quo, they will eventually have their ‘revolution’, which will be a much bigger watershed for South Africa than 1994. So far (since the inception of the EFF) they have been streets ahead of the other possible “instruments of change” I referred to above (after the various asterisks). The prospect is chilling for many reasons, but mostly because it will have replaced the ‘evil’ which is the current ANC, with what could possibly be a ‘greater evil’. (I am even frightening myself here, but I would like to invite responses and comments with a view to pointing out possible fallacies in my thinking and/or the elements or issues I have missed in my argument. Of course, the whole argument can be trashed by accusing me of building it on the wrong assumption, i.e. the assumption that the ANC government is failing in so many ways. But that would surely be flying agaist a lot of very informed opinion, in spite of the fact that eleven million opinions say I am wrong!).
Groete,
Piet
Thanks Piet, for your comment. Since writing it the frustration with lack of accountability has found expression in a big way. †here cannot be an exhortation to EFF to behave with decorum when there is no respect for parliament on part of powers-that-be
Raymond, you are so right! I actually got goose pimples when the EFF incident took place just shortly AFTER I have watched your interview and have posted my comments! I actually now fear my own “predictions”. HeHe! One consolation, though, is that us South Africans have always been able to avert going into the abyss – and we have been damn close to it a few time, as you know. But in spite of this, people on the lunatic fringes can cause terrible havoc at the expense of the mass of reasonable citizens. And the world in general, and South Africa as well, have become dangerous and restless of late. But I am sure our own contributions and efforts will help to mitigate it somewhat. Your incredibly productive pen is valuable in bringing sense to the sometimes (apparently) senseless happenings in our weird and wonderful country.
Thanks again, Piet, for your feedback. We are at the abyss I think, so we need to find a way out. No easy route