Jock Shock

The journalists of the South African media have been told hundreds of times: COSATU is not going to endorse anybody for ANC President until the candidates’ policies are known. It’s called democracy, which the journalists often pretend to know about, but obviously still have difficulty understanding properly. It happens to be what COSATU is made of. In spite of the simplicity and clarity of COSATU’s position, the merry media folk still like to pretend that it is not so. Consequently, we have absurdities like yesterday’s Sunday Times front page story, where three senior journalists were obliged to put their names to a gossipy and untrue tale about a meeting that took place more than a month ago. See the link below.

The headline did not even fit the story. How typical! COSATU has had no difficulty repudiating this warmed-over mess of potage. If you don’t already get COSATU Media Releases, you can read it in the COSATU Week, out soon.

The editor of the Sunday Times is Mondli Makhanya. He may or may not be a personal friend of Danisa Baloyi, the former multi-tasking director of companies and simultaneous trustee. But at least he is familiar with Baloyi’s “beautiful garden”. His article about her follows last week’s similar one in the business section of that newspaper. It is designed to create sympathy so that if, by some happy chance, the prosecutors in the Fidentia case should overlook the investigation and prosecution of Baloyi, nobody will complain. So far, the tactic does seem to be succeeding. Baloyi has not been charged. Maybe she really is untouchable, after all. See the link.

Paul Wolfowitz is the President of the World Bank - supposedly an international institution. When he was appointed, his girlfriend was already working there. He arranged for her to be transferred to the US State Department, but still to be paid by the Bank, and then given two huge pay rises, by the Bank. He was found out, and then like Baloyi did with ABSA Bank, refused to resign. So he will have to be fired. Our South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, is Wolfowitz’ friend. Manuel was in Washington while the story was breaking. He is keeping his head down and saying very little about the scandal. Manuel has been rumoured to be organising a “javelin” manoeuvre for himself to the World Bank.

Penuel Maduna is a different kind of character. This former minister likes to play dangerous games and to “hide in the open”, as they say in Langley, Virginia, headquarters of the CIA. Maduna likes to make a big stink on the principle that if he throws around enough of his cowardly innuendos in public, and at the same time adopts his usual ugly, bullying manner, he can get away with anything. It seems he has succeeded so far, because he is now a multi-millionaire.

COSATU stood up to Maduna and his crony and fellow-millionaire Bulelani Ngcuka in the matter of the suborning of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA-Scorpions) when it was under their joint control. Their principal victim at that time happened to be Jacob Zuma. Now Maduna is working another of his periodical loud and scary-looking scams. See the article linked below by Jeremy Gordin, who appears to have had a very long chat with Maduna. Wouldn’t it be nice if Maduna found his nemesis this time around?

For the lighter side of BEE, see this prescription for rugby transformation from Karen Bliksem of the Sunday Independent: “The Free State Cheetahs must choose five black players, the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks must choose five Indian players, the Gauteng/Johannesburg Lions must choose five Jewish players, the Tshwane Bulls must choose five English-speaking players, and the Western Cape Stormers must choose five rugby players”.

Khatu Mamaila of the City Press is no admirer of the communists, but has got the general idea of the SACP’s “1996 class project” analysis, all right. See his article linked below. And from the same paper’s front page, a story featuring the SACP’s recently departed spin-doctor, Kaizer Mohau, who is now spinning for Tlokwe (former Potch). He may wake that dorp up a bit, but his talents are wasted there. He ought to be a radio “shock-jock”, or even an SABC TV interviewer. He would be a lot more real than some of the elocution-school graduates they use. And that does not mean Xolani Gwala, who manages the supreme feat of combining urbanity with humanity and sheer awareness. Xolani is the best.

Why the picture? No other reason except to remember Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Click on these links:

Cosatu dumps Zuma, Malefane, Harper and Mbhele, S Times (716 words)

Baloyi, example of corrupting quest, Mondli Makhanya, S Times (923 words)

ANC leaders were paid out for investments, Jeremy Gordin, Sindy (1002 words)

Capitalism in Safe Hands, Khathu Mamaila, City Press (674 words)

Cracks in JZ camp emerge, Wonder Hlongwa, City Press (697 words)