Wild plots in lieu of testimony and proof are creating a farce

Performances at the Madlanga Commission and Parliament's ad hoc committee took flights of fancy to bewildering and wholly unbelievable new heights

- Bhekisisa Mncube

Ah, Chief Dwasaho! Last week's theatrics before the ad hoc parliamentary committee and the Madlanga Commission — those entrusted with unravelling the slow-burning disaster of justice capture and political interference in the South African Police Service (SAPS) — reminded me of the very first English book I ever read: Fools and Other Stories by Njabulo S Ndebele, published in 1983.

Yes, my leader — fools! The perfect companion for a South Africa where truth limps into the room while selective amnesia sprints past like a Comrades champion coached by denial. Watching esteemed comrades twist themselves into philosophical pretzels to dodge simple yes-or-no questions, I was reminded that this time the foolishness isn’t fiction; it’s livestreamed, funded by taxpayers and comes complete with legal teams and overnight media coaching.

Last week’s episode of the Madlanga Commission starred Mr Brown Mogotsi, sometime North West businessman (depending on who you ask), sometime “contact agent”, sometime intelligence theorist. Mr Brown introduced himself to the bewildered nation as a longstanding Crime Intelligence asset — first as an informant from 1999, later elevated to “contact agent” in 2009, tasked with feeding sensitive information to the SAPS. So far, so cloak and dagger. Then the script veered straight into Hollywood espionage.