Truth without consequences

As President Cyril Ramaphosa prepares to deliver the ANC’s January 8th statement at Moruleng Stadium in Rustenburg, North West, this weekend, one truth should weigh heavier than any scripted assurance: the party has little to celebrate on its 114th birthday.

- Mandla Mthembu

Downplaying the challenges facing the country and his party will not help. After the shocking revelations at the Madlanga commission, it is clear South Africa does not suffer from a shortage of commissions of inquiry. It suffers from a shortage of consequences.

With the commission nearing its conclusion, the country confronts a familiar danger - another costly, meticulous probe that risks being shelved, selectively quoted and ultimately neutralised by political resistance.

The Zondo commission already taught us the harshest lesson: uncovering the truth is possible, but truth without consequences is indistinguishable from silence.

If Ramaphosa allows Madlanga's recommendations to follow the same path, the political cost will not be abstract or deferred. It will be immediate, electoral and brutal beginning with this year's local government elections.