Justice Must Now Be Served

As long as the ANC is still in power, the state capture and Phala Phala farm scandals will continue to haunt South Africa.

- Mandla Mthembu

Accused ANC officials seem to be treated with kid gloves, while tough action is taken against those from other parties, like the recent dismissal of DA deputy minister Andrew Whitfield.

This was the impression created when President Cyril Ramaphosa broke his silence on Sunday on the police scandal. He couldn't even suspend or fire police minister Senzo Mchunu, but put him on leave and ordered a judicial inquiry to probe allegations of infiltration in the police.

This follows claims by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on 6 July, when he accused senior police and political figures of colluding with criminal syndicates.

For South Africans exhausted by crime, Mkhwanazi's revelations were not only shocking, they were horrifying.

His allegations painted a picture of a justice system compromised from within: metro police officers on drug syndicate payrolls, prosecutors turning a blind eye and political leaders interfering with investigations. He even suggested that elements within the judiciary were linked to criminal networks.