South Africans aren't stupid, Sam

Sam Shilowa and his henchmen – the self-styled Express – insulted not only the intellectual capacity of the members of the party, but South Africans in general. Allegations of misconduct, financial mismanagement, fraud and underhanded tactics haunt the Express and we’re just not buying it.

Cope will split, and let me be the first to say I encourage it and even advocate for it.

Since May Cope has become South Africa’s biggest Makhaza toilet with Sam’s inner circle dumping their shit in public.

His cabal is so tainted and sadly the party as a collective is to blame for allowing this blatant abuse of the platforms, image and credibility of the organisation, in the first instance, for bringing these people into the COPE fold.

Subsequent attempts at addressing this violation of the founding vision, principles and values of Cope – not to mention the promise and pact the party made with the voters – have been met with increasing vehemence and persistence. Of course, the Express ringleaders have their political futures – and wallets – to salvage.

This painfully unattractive and potentially tarnishing process of saving COPE is actually a process to reclaim its credibility as a political alternative that championed discipline, principles, the Constitution, democracy and exposing the abuse of public money and corruption.

The trail of stench following the Express as it steams along is documented in almost every print publication in this country, from Limpopo in the north to the Western Cape:

The former Limpopo secretary and Shiloyalist is embroiled in a sex pest scandal for stalking and sexually harassing two women in the province (The Star).

The hypocrisy of the Women’s Forum leaders aligned to Shilowa is reflected in their deafening silence on the matter, despite being vocally in support of Nozipho Didiza-Ndlela (the National Secretary) and accusing Lekota of sexism and disregarding gender equality.

Their inability and complete failure to even establish the Women’s Forum structures across the provinces and nationally – to advance the interests of women they so irregularly and vehemently champion – hardly project caring and committed gender activists. The Women’s Forum, to this day, remains an imaginary structure with self-styled leaders.

Didiza-Ndlela has also claimed exorbitant travelling costs – R1 400 a day from Randfontein to Braamfontein – and is believed to owe the party in excess of R26 000 in travelling expenses (Mail & Guardian).

The same applies to the Youth Movement under Anele Mda – notorious for her Malema-style vulgarities and insults – and Malusi Booi. They have hypocritically repeatedly called for a national elective congress while the Youth under their direction is equally an imaginary structure and there is – even two years after its formation – no talk of electing legitimate leaders.

Booi’s credibility is also tarnished as he received a contract of R500 000 without proper procedures being followed (Mail & Guardian). Travel expenses for Shiloyalist youth to the St George policy conference were paid from the parliamentary travel account and rental cars in some instances invoiced for more than R10 000, this is beside the fraudelent travel expenses passed off in the name of youth members who used their own transport there and back.

In Gauteng the provincial chairperson John Ngcebetsha is being challenged for an entire list of accusations, including plagiarising the ANC constitution, marginalising and destablising some Gauteng branches, conflict of interest in being a member of the provincial and national leadership and using his legal firm in representing Shiloyalists and the province in court. It is noted that he refused to represent COPE in the CCMA case for which the party now owes Ngcebetsha’s firm money (Mail & Guardian). It is further alleged that he and his legal partner travelled on parliamentary funds and that he disbursed money into his company and personal accounts to the tune of “hundreds of thousands of rands”.

Members in North West allege financial abuse of legislature is rife, with Nikiwe Num allegedly signing cheques to herself for more than R30 000 and to provincial youth leaders aligned to her and Sam. She is also dogged by the shadow of her tenure as ANCYL Treasurer and representative on Lembede board.

In the Free State Mofihli Likotsi started his own party and registered it with the IEC at the national level, despite sitting on Cope’s national committee.

Legislature staff in the Eastern Cape remain unpaid for months after the legislature flagged irregular expenditure by Shiloyalists Archie Ralo and Kwelita and froze the disbursement of funds. Andile Nkuhlu, former provincial chairperson, forced Wiseman Nkuhlu – a family member – as premier candidate and ostracised Smuts Ngonyama, costing the party significant votes in the province. He is also instrumental in touting Mvume Dandala as presidential candidate, and the poor Dandala later admitted to have been abused and kept in the dark about parliamentary funds by Shilowa.

In the Western Cape Mbulelo Ncedana and his side-kicks are widely known for their narrow African Nationalism and allegedly tried to purge Alta van Zyl from the legislature. There are claims that his core group have attempted to purge all non-black people from provincial and regional leadership and his failure as provincial chairperson is evident in the inability to either contest or secure seats in by-elections.

The Express are quick to point out how white people are DA moles, but Ncedana is single-handedly to blame for the party’s poor performance, largely ignoring the Makhaza toilet saga and Hangberg evictions and focusing their attention on the succession battle in support of Shilowa.

Nationally, there is Mluleki George who has outside of party structures declared a national congress and the money for the Thaba Nchu tea party has not been declared to the party and its expenditure not cleared by the national treasurer.

Charlotte Lobe was only recently fired after receiving an exorbitant monthly salary without even bothering to pitch for four months – or explaining why she wasn’t on the job. Not surprisingly Shilowa was ready to defend her lack of performance.

Then there’s Lorraine Mashiane, former Administrative Whip, who claims no wrong-doing, yet refuses to cooperate with a forensic audit authorised by the national committee and insists on being subpoenaed.

About R330000 in petty cash withdrawals took place from June 2009 to May 2010. Receipts could not be found for R110000 of the money. Mashiane authorised stationery purchases of R739000 over a year without a signed contract with the supplier (Times Live). With R739 000 worth of stationary you sure as hell can write a lot of cheques.

She is also known for her stint in the North West ANC and for sowing division in the provincial executive (Mail & Guardian) and even there allegations followed about financial mismanagement as the head of elections, not to mention her Terror is “fucked in the head” comment.

Sam, the Captain of the Express, is still dogged by his refusal to blow the whistle on Carl Niehaus (a charge has been laid at the police by Jack Bloom, DA). As Chief Whip, along with the Administrative Whip in charge of HR, is alleged to have disbursed money from parliamentary allowances to people not employed by COPE, including three provincial youth secretaries, amounting to R213 000 in 18 months without valid employment contracts and an additional R28 000 for travelling costs (Times Live).

Parliament is apparently still awaiting an explanation for irregular or unaccounted expenditure of R4,4 million, and staff employed by Sam allegedly never received employment contracts, pay slips or IRP5s, and his PA couldn’t explain a deposit of R110 000 in her personal account (Mail & Guardian). It clearly pays to be a PA.

There is also the issue of R155 000 paid to a financial manager without a written employment contract whose appointment was apparently based on a verbal agreement with Shilowa (Times Live).

His PA is also implicated in allegedly fabricating documents handed to the original auditors, and Sam himself is believed to have submitted a fraudulent letter claiming it was signed off by “Anton Louw” (Mail & Guardian)

It is a pity that this entire saga has been portrayed as a Terror vs Shilowa spectacle, because the truth and internal reality is much greater – and more complex – than two individuals. Just as Sam has his chief cheerleaders, there are others on the other side too.

The difference is Terror’s “camp” has a diverse and multi-racial flavour, unlike Shilowa, and they remain vocal about fighting to restore the credibility of the organisation. Sadly the white people – like the Kilians and Deidre Carter – are labelled former Apartheid spies, intelligence officers, Old National Party loyalists, Broederbond members and with the agenda to end Affirmative Action and bring back Apartheid (yes, a total of fifteen white people at most, many without previous political affiliations).

The archaic racial gaze of the Shiloyalists is adequately demonstrated in Anele Mda’s “white token bitch” claim to fame, and has filtered down to their supporters on the ground who call a number of us “white Messiahs” (ANCYL much?).

Worse is the rife homophobia and sexism, with grass roots Express “activists” spewing the most vulgar nonsense imaginable: alleging senior leaders have sex with members loyal to “Terrorists”, including homosexual relationships and sex with animals.

Additionally, cowardly Express supporters on Facebook write disgusting notes about senior leaders under pseudonyms and ‘fake profiles’.

You can’t have a civil debate with them without being called “mentally ill homosexual” or a white messiah, they remain unreconstructed political juveniles and Cope is better off with them breaking away.

If ridding the party from this kind of shenanigans is perceived as a purge, then let it be known as a purge to reclaim the vision and mission of Cope.

The most laughable thing to date is the suggestion by a political commentator that Shilowa will take with him the youth movement, women’s forum and the majority of members should the party split. No province or chapter is unanimously behind Shilowa, to the contrary, apart from a vocal minority at least 6 of the 9 provinces will not nominate him.

Let them hold their Tea Party next weekend in Thaba Nchu, the remainder of us are celebrating with a National Braai Congress across the country.

South Africa deserves better.