Zumagate: Pikoli sacked for being insensitive to national security?

The sacking of Vusi Pikoli, as head of the National Prosecuting Authority, ostensibly on the basis of his insensitivity to matters of national security will surely go down in history as one of the great ironies of South African politics. Pikoli, who in his capacity as head of prosecutions, went after leading elements in both the ANC President Jacob Zuma and former president Thabo Mbeki’s camps, was first suspended by Mbeki, then cleared by Ginwala before being marked beyond salvage by President Kgalema Motlanthe — seemingly on the basis of his lack of feel for matters affecting the security of our country — even though no legal basis for his dismissal existed.

Almost 15 years into the multiracial democracy that is the new South Africa crime and the continued poverty among the majority of our people, to my mind, represent the greatest threat to our national security. The former running amok due to a number of factors including, but by no means limited to, a failure to hold those at the highest levels accountable, political interference in the criminal justice system and the judiciary, disbanding of key crime-fighting units, dismissal of key prosecutors who refuse to be cowed by political figures, while the latter is suffering from a huge loss of resources directly and indirectly occasioned by the refusal to deal with crime where it affects vested interest groups.

If we calculate just the billions that have been lost to the masses through the arms deal and the Eastern Cape Feeding Scheme and other aid scams — the perpetrators of which should be eligible for the death penalty — then you arrive at a fraction of the amount that theft and corruption costs this country and but for which the fight against poverty would be substantially further forward than it is right now.

When regard is had to transformation and the fight against poverty going forward, the failure to effectively deal with those fatcats who plunder substantial amounts of the aid meant for our poorer communities will seriously impact on the ability of government to assist those most in need of help.

Having witnessed how the tenders are compiled and the manner in which delivery is effected it is surprising anyone gets any help at all. In essence there are more nogshleppers in every deal then there are parties who supply, transport and receive the aid. If you could cut out those unnecessary middle men — placed there by the people entrusted to see the aid is furnished and required to give kickbacks — you could probably double and then some the amount received by the people on the ground.

If we then look at the numbers of people who benefit by BEE and compare it with the amount of people who could have been uplifted had this been done on an equitable basis then again we begin to understand why transformation is being retarded. In terms of affirmative action we have far too much cronyism and tolerance of ineptitude. If the parties who are getting the positions are black then it cannot be racist to expect the public to demand that those that are lazy and inept be replaced by those willing and able. All of this ties together and starts with a lack of accountability and a refusal to hold those at the top responsible for their actions. It also confirms that party affiliation rather than ability is playing far too big a role in the placement of people.

If we widen the context and consider the promises being made by the ANC to the electorate against the backdrop of the global financial crisis as opposed to the far kinder conditions that existed during the Mbeki presidency, then we begin to understand how vital it is to the stability of this country that the wastage occasioned by theft and corruption of our limited resources be dealt with ruthlessly.

No longer are we able to afford a gravy train that sucks out a substantial percentage of the funds allocated for the fight against poverty and the upliftment of our people. Unlike Zimbabweans, South Africans rally against what they perceive to be injustices or inequity within the system. This is something we have witnessed time and again and as recently as a week ago when the taxi drivers went on the warpath. On a national scale Mbeki was finally forced to place the army on standby to deal with xenophobia when during better times the masses felt betrayed by the government’s failure to deliver and its refusal to regulate the refugees flooding into the townships and cities.

This suggests to me that the fight against poverty and transformation must be the primary goals of the next government. This entails BEE, AA and land reform being carried out in an effective manner where corruption and cronyism receive zero tolerance. This means that those outside the party and employed by the state be totally ruthless with those within the government who would feather their nest before handing over the baton to the next passengers aboard the gravy train. If the government and the ruling party ignore that then the masses of this country might well consider the government to be ineffective, corrupt and capable of being removed only by measures outside of the rule of law. A rule of law that is being undermined by the very people who will require it to be effective should all hell break loose.

A rule of law that can only be effective if people like Pikoli — who are not afraid to tackle people at the very top and who, as he admitted on the SABC last week, are friends of his — are willing to stand up and be counted. People like Pikoli who are prepared to risk friendship, their career and sometimes even their lives to root out the crime and corruption that is strangling this country.

People like Pikoli who understand the real issues underlying national security.