WATCH | ‘Ramaphosa knew it all and did nothing’

Ramaphosa

Cape Town – Political analyst Prince Mashele has launched a scathing attack on President Cyril Ramaphosa, calling him “one of the most useless presidents” in post-apartheid South Africa.

In an interview with Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Mashele criticised Ramaphosa for failing to take decisive action against Police Minister Senzo Mchunu after serious allegations of political interference were made by KZN police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

“Cyril Ramaphosa will go down in history as one of the most useless presidents we have had after 1994, and I don’t mince my words, useless. Zuma will go down in history as the most criminal.

“You see, there is a moment for a leader of a country to show leadership, to lead his nation. Cyril Ramaphosa missed the moment. He was outside. Mkhwanazi told us what he knows. We’re all shocked. We’re expecting that he was going to be decisive, that is, Cyril Ramaphosa. He did not act like a leader, he has completely forgot, forgotten his responsibilities,” Mashele said.

He claimed Ramaphosa already knew about the allegations due to daily intelligence briefings, suggesting the newly announced commission of inquiry is a tactic to avoid accountability.

“A president is the client number one of our intelligence services. They report to the president. The president is supposed to get briefings, intelligence briefings, every single day in the morning before he begins his activities; he’s supposed to be told what is happening in the country. So, there’s absolutely nothing that Mkhwanazi knows that Cyril Ramaphosa does not know, Mashele claimed.

“So this idea that there must be a commission of inquiry to investigate, as if the president does not know what is happening, is absolute nonsense. In fact, it’s insulting our intelligence as a society. He knows. He even knows more than what Mkhwanazi knows.

“So there’s absolutely nothing for him to find out. He knows Mchunu is in the pockets of criminals. He knows that, but he cannot act sternly against Mchunu, why? Because he and Mchunu are partners in crime.”

He also alleged that Ramaphosa and Mchunu are linked through the controversial CR17 campaign, claiming Mchunu handled “dirty money” in KwaZulu-Natal and thus Ramaphosa is reluctant to act against him.

“When he [Ramaphosa] became president of the ANC in 2017, Mchunu was the chief campaigner of CR 17 in KwaZulu-Natal. So, all the dirty money that was collected by Cyril Ramaphosa from Bosa, and all manner of dirty money that he went to court to try and protect, the person who was handling that dirty money in KwaZulu-Natal was Mchunu.

“So Mchunu knows a lot about Cyril Ramaphosa’s dirty money. That’s why Cyril Ramaphosa will never deal with Mchunu seriously,” Mashele said.

Ramaphosa, meanwhile, defended the inquiry as necessary to establish facts, saying punitive action without proof would be dangerous. Mchunu has been placed on leave, with Firoz Cachalia acting in his place.

“These allegations are serious. They are also untested,” he said.

“It is therefore necessary that we establish the facts through an independent, credible and thorough process so that we can ensure accountability and safeguard public confidence in the police service.”

Mashele slammed the inquiry as a wasteful distraction, saying it insults South Africans and reflects a broader ANC pattern of using commissions to deflect public anger without real consequences.

Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram

Picture: X/@PresidencyZA

For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com

Compiled by Betha Madhomu

Article written by