That Zweli Mkhize is a typical ANC politician most of us have known since his days as KwaZulu-Natal premier.
After he was elevated to the important position of ANC national treasurer, the leopard did not lose its spots; allegations of Mkhize simultaneously fundraising for the party and himself continued to circulate.
Then came Covid-19. Mkhize welcomed the pandemic as a double opportunity. First, he saw it as a wonderful public relations opportunity to repair his broken image, to project himself as a technically competent leader working hard to save lives. We all watched Dr Mkhize the health celebrity performing in webinar after webinar.
As he showcased his histrionics, gullible souls became so duped that some among them began to tout Mkhize as an ideal successor to Cyril Ramaphosa.
What the public did not know is that Mkhize was also allegedly busy with Covid-19’s second opportunity: the chance spotted by many ANC thieves to loot money from pandemic funds.
As they spent long hours in cabinet, exploring how to circumvent normal procurement requirements during a pandemic, Mkhize was salivating. He allegedly saw in his mind possible instruments he could use to steal from his own department: from his former secretary to his friends – thieves he calls “comrades”.
As they say, the rest is history. The whole of SA now knows how Mkhize allegedly looted millions of our money through a lousy PR scheme involving his friends.
What baffles most people is why he is still a minister in the cabinet of a president who once marketed himself as a new-dawn crusader against corruption.
What happened to Mr Clean Ramaphosa? Why is he not firing Mkhize who even caused our national religious leaders to write public letters demanding action? That is what the people of SA are wondering.
The first answer is that Ramaphosa, like Mkhize himself, is not Mr Clean. Stick your nose into the Bosasa or CR-17 campaigns if you want to treat yourself to Ramaphosa’s noxious putridity.
What worries Ramaphosa the most is not that money has been stolen, it is that the public has found out.
As state president, Ramaphosa is client No 1 of all our intelligence services. He knows everything about the dirty activities of all his ministers. He has all the videos and recordings of Mkhize’s actions. Yes, a state president does see such stuff.
By the time the Daily Maverick told us about Mkhize’s alleged thieving, Ramaphosa had long known about it. Nobody must rule out the plausible possibility that it may be Ramaphosa’s own spies who handed information to the Daily Maverick.
In short, the first reason Ramaphosa has not fired Mkhize is because they are the same. The fact that Ramaphosa is rich has duped people into believing he could not have accepted money from Bosasa.
The second reason is political. It is clear from Ramaphosa’s newfound political boldness in the ANC that he is interested in a second term. Indeed, power is sweet.
For some time now, Ramaphosa has been aware that Mkhize has been plotting to become ANC (and eventually state) president. In other words, Ramaphosa has been aware of Mkhize’s political threat.
What Ramaphosa does not want is for Mkhize to become available as a horse to be ridden by the Jacob Zuma/Gupta faction, a sordid conspiracy looking for a believable thief to dupe the public.
Ramaphosa does not want to be accused of victimising Mkhize. He wants evidence to pile up until Mkhize is embarrassed (or even charged), and therefore steps aside voluntarily.
As someone who collects money from dodgy characters, Ramaphosa himself should know that thieves are never embarrassed. Even after being caught with stolen sugar on his lips, Mkhize will never step aside without being pushed.
For us ordinary South Africans, the Mkhize saga confirms what we already knew – that the ANC will never change. The ANC has become so corrupt that we must never be fooled by anyone from that organisation who wears a suit or a tie.
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