'You have failed us at so many levels': Dr Allan Boesak calls out Ramaphosa over Madlanga report, SAPS

Not only has renowned politician and anti-apartheid activist Reverend Dr Allan Boesak said that President Cyril Ramaphosa should fire officials implicated in Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee and Madlanga Commission, but he would also advise the president to resign.

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Sunday, Boesak said Ramaphosa should fire officials who have been implicated in criminal activities brought to light at the commission, chaired by Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.

The commission identified prima facie evidence of criminal conduct and corruption, prompting immediate referrals for criminal investigation, urgent prosecutorial decisions, and disciplinary action.

Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee have been investigating allegations of police corruption and political interference ventilated by KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.

Boesak criticised how the president has kept the interim Madlanga report private, and only relayed certain bits of information through his own perspective, instead of making it public.

He said that he would tell Ramaphosa how “everybody who has been involved in criminal action that's in your purview, that's from the president's office, right down, fire them”.

“I would even say to the president, ‘You have failed us at so many levels and in such a deep, deep, deep way in terms of what your office expects of you, and what your people expect and demand of you, that you should begin by resigning yourself.

“Let us start from over,” Boesak said. “This government that we have, immoral as it is, by elevating people who celebrate, and profit, and benefit from genocide…I mean, that just in itself is so immoral, I can't even find the word to speak about it.”

Boesak has said that South Africans should “stop what is happening right now, (and) start from the very beginning”.

“Not just a new conversation about morality, but a new conversation of the way we govern, and the way we respond to our responsibilities, that, in my view, is not just democratically given by our people, but demanded by God."

Political analyst at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Zakhele Ndlovu, said Boesak has a point, and how, at this stage, Ramaphosa has lost all credibility.

“His reluctance to be transparent regarding the interim report of the Madlanga commission suggests that he's got something to hide and is protecting certain individuals. Boesak is right to question the way Ramaphosa governs. His administration presided over the looting of the Covid-19 funds. His administration also allowed rioters in 2021 to run amok,” Ndlovu said.

“He spoke about 12 instigators of the riots, but not even one of those instigators has been identified and prosecuted. The cloud remains hanging over his head regarding Phala Phala.

“Ramaphosa needs to be transparent and come clean. He needs to stop protecting wrongdoers such as Senzo Mchunu and Shadrack Sibiya,” Ndlovu said.

“His handling of the water crisis shows that he is out of touch. Similarly, deploying soldiers to crime-infested areas is a bad idea. He needs to fix the police force. At this rate, Ramaphosa is making the Zuma presidency look good.”

Another political analyst, Nkosikhulule Nyembezi, said many South Africans are crying betrayal over the ANC’s reluctance to implement bold measures to fight corruption and maladministration.

“Many Struggle veterans are not adding their voices to that charge in public, but they privately agree. There is astonishment that President Ramaphosa and many in the ANC leadership blithely conceded to several administrative hurdles by subverting good governance and ethical leadership, instead of removing from government positions individuals implicated in corruption and maladministration,” Nyembezi said.

“There is horror at Ramaphosa’s subsequent suggestion that the only tangible action he is taking in implementing the commission’s findings is to direct further investigation, as if the bloody slate of corruption crimes perpetrated by the implicated individuals can simply be wiped clean.”

He added that the biggest surprise is that there are still people who claim to be surprised when Struggle veterans like Boesak speak out.

“We knew that this president and the ANC leaders have a reputation for inaction, even though the party purports to be committed to party renewal. The internal ANC politics is one in which carnivorous, corrupt leaders cut deals with each other, and the smaller ones fall into line or get crushed underfoot.

“If you are genuinely shocked by these developments and Allan Boesak’s comments, I can only assume you have not been paying much attention,” Nyembezi said.

The presidency has been contacted for comment in response to Boesak’s comment, but has yet to respond.

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