Recent news has highlighted a situation that is causing heated controversy within the political party called Fatshimetrie. Indeed, former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama were sworn in as MPs for this party, alongside Mzwanele Manyi and Lucky Montana, all close to Jacob Zuma, former president of South Africa.
These appointments took many observers by surprise, as none of the four were on the list of candidates during the elections last May. Their arrival in the National Assembly follows the ouster of 15 members of the party, thus increasing tensions within this political party which is now the official opposition.
The respective careers of Molefe, Gama and Montana have been tarnished by accusations of state capture during the Zuma era, following the revelations of the Zondo commission. Molefe faces charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering related to the award of an overvalued contract for the purchase of locomotives by Transnet. The Zondo commission also highlighted Molefe’s leading role in the plundering of the company’s coffers orchestrated by the Gupta brothers.
Gama, meanwhile, was reinstated at Transnet Freight Rail after being fired for serious irregularities, benefiting from transactions favourable to the Gupta company. Montana is accused of influencing the awarding of lucrative contracts while heading the Passenger Rail Agency in South Africa.
The reaction of the leader of the democratic opposition was not long in coming. George Mikalakis said that the presence of these new MPs in Parliament was a disgrace to the institution, questioning their legitimacy to hold these positions. He stressed that voters did not choose these figures to represent them, highlighting the lack of transparency and trust in the democratic system.
The case of the controversial appointments of these former Transnet leaders to the Fatshimetrie party is a testament to the challenges of the fight against corruption and the need to strengthen democratic institutions to ensure the integrity and representativeness of governance bodies. At this pivotal time for South African democracy, it is essential to promote transparency and ethics in politics to restore citizens’ trust in their representatives.