Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies

At least respect South Africans enough to tell good lies [View this email in your browser]( April 28, 2021 [Mail & Guardian]( [Mail & Guardian]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( Hi there, The president of the republic is set to make his appearance before the Zondo commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture. This follows a marathon of testimony by former C-suite executives from some of the country’s biggest parastatals. Malusi Gigaba, Siyabonga Gama, Garry Pita, Brian Molefe and Anoj Singh all, at some stage, came out of the Gupta family’s Saxonwold residence [laden with bags of cash]( witnesses have testified. Close my, close my, close my eyes [Singh sang a familiar tune: It wasn’t me](. This is despite the fact that for three years, he had no use for his substantial Transnet salary to pay living expenses. He claimed that he used savings accrued in other bank accounts. Singh also told commission chair Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that he never called the Guptas’ close associate Salim Essa, or received calls from him, and denied testimony before the commission that he had attended meetings with Essa. He accused his former driver of fabricating a story that he regularly emerged from the home of the Gupta family in Saxonwold with bags of money to frame him, possibly at the urging of an investigator at the Zondo commission. He is yet to provide evidence to support his claims. So I’ll settle for one day to believe in you Failing that, the man, identified only as Witness 3 to protect his identity, had come under pressure from Transnet to implicate him in state capture and was complying because he feared losing his job if he did not do so, Singh claimed. Singh rejected entire paragraphs from the affidavit of Witness 3, denying that he ever drove him to Saxonwold, and from there another 5km to the place where he kept some four safety-deposit boxes. Appearing on Monday, Gama, the former head of Transnet, said allegations that he received cash from the [Gupta family and their associates were “fiction”](. Gama returned to the commission after testimony from a witness about amounts of cash that were seen in Gama’s car. However, he did concede that his driver “may have” dropped him off on at least one occasion at the sprawling Gupta family home in Saxonwold. Tell me, tell me, tell me lies When in doubt, add witchcraft. Gama — to give credence to his version of events — claimed this driver was a disgruntled employee whom he had caught sprinkling a mysterious brown powder on his property. According to Gama, their relationship broke down in August 2017, when Gama discovered through CCTV footage that Witness 2, as he has been aliased at the commission, had sprinkled brown powder – “muti” – at Gama’s property. Gama said the commission was dealing with a person who lost his job and believes him to be “an enemy”. Which brings us to the testimony of one Nomachule Mngoma, the soon-to-be former Mrs Gigaba. In her six-hour testimony on Monday, Mngoma described a privileged life paid for in cash while her husband danced like a marionette to his master’s voice. The master — Ajay Gupta, allegedly — was one of his unofficial advisers while he served as a cabinet minister, Mngoma told the commission. Oh no-no, you can’t disguise, You can’t disguise The frequency of his consultations with the family at their Saxonwold home increased after he became minister of public enterprises, and when parliament was in session, these would take place on Monday evenings before Gigaba flew to Cape Town or on Fridays upon his return, Mngoma testified. In return for his ear and influence, the couple was gifted with hotel stays and vast amounts of money. Mngoma corroborated evidence that her husband had moved piles of cash out of the Gupta home in a leather tog bag placed in the boot of his car. Her husband would later transfer this cash to one of his “man bags” to use for shopping sprees during the course of the day. Now, we are set to hear from President Cyril Ramaphosa on a variety of topics, including his meetings with the Gupta family; his dealings with another politically connected family, the Watsons of Bosasa fame; and his involvement in ANC cadre deployment. South Africa enjoys infotainment as much as the next audience, but it is vital that we do not lose sight of what is at stake here. The lies are puerile and exceedingly insulting, given that they are a testament to a shadow state that was running the country almost unfettered. Through the bullshit we have to stay vigilant and aware of what is said and done before this inquiry comes to an end. The devil is in the details. Our sincere apologies to Fleetwood Mac, Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Subscribe now]( Enjoy The Ampersand? 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