Black First Land First (BLF) supports the ANC resolution for a Judicial Commission of Inquiry on state capture beyond the allegations of state capture by the Guptas. In other words, the liberating factor here is that the terms of reference would include state capture by both the Guptas and white monopoly capital.
BLF applauds the ANC for taking this bold decision. This suggests a commitment to ending all corruption and is in line with its undertaking on realizing Radical Economic Transformation (RET).
It must be stated that on 10 December 2016 BLF had already called for the scope of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry (JCOI) on state capture to be extended. To this end BLF requested that the scope of the JCOI – already requested on 31 March 2016 for state capture by white capital involving Johann Rupert and 8 others – to be extended to allow for all complaints on state capture including on the Guptas.
We say, if the Guptas are corrupt let them be investigated. We do note that to date no charges have been preferred against them. The Oakbay bank accounts were closed by the banks on mere allegations of fraud, -nothing proven – yet numerous white companies with serious criminal cases (including offences relating to financial outflows) pending against them, still have operational bank accounts.
BLF says to President Zuma that the JCOI must take into account the following foundational facts: the root of all corruption in South Africa is land theft by whites from blacks since 1652; this country is accordingly founded on corruption since that date; and It is therefore historically incorrect that President Zuma, and the Guptas are the most corrupt people in the country.
We note that every time white corruption is mentioned the white owned media highlights the so called corruption of the Gupta family or that of President Zuma. Former Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, has consistently intimated that the state and some people are captured by the Guptas whenever he has been accused of being conflicted, compromised and corrupt and to this end beholden to white monopoly capital. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. A JCOI with comprehensive terms of reference should serve to put the RET in a trajectory towards the institutional destruction of white monopoly capital.
White corruption has historically been ignored by the white owned media, opposition political parties, and NGO funded civil society groups and other entities.
Today we see at every turn.how the most corrupt are leading the fight against corruption. They even call others corrupt so as to institute regime change by removing a democratically elected President and replacing him with a puppet of Western imperialism.
We have already seen this happen in Brazil where the most corrupt have teamed up with imperialism and reactionary opposition parties – using the same strategy of “fighting corruption” – to conduct a coup against a democratically elected president.
We must deal with corruption directly or else we run the risk of counter revolutionary forces being bought by white monopoly capital to entrench white corruption under the guise of fighting corruption. We must defend our national sovereignty by dealing courageously with all corruption and acting decisively against the root of all corruption – white monopoly capital.
The 1994 moment didn’t end this foundational corruption of historical land theft. Hence white settler monopoly capital continues undeterred in its path of looting and plundering with impunity. Also white corruption is hidden from view and normalised by the white owned media.
We seek to make visible the invisible hand of white monopoly capital. To this end the following instances of corruption are instructive in so far as the JCOI probe relates to corruption by white monopoly capital:
The R50 billion stolen by the construction cartel during the 2010 FIFA world cup and exposed by the Competition Commission; the R26 billion stolen from the South African Reserve Bank by, amongst others, Johann Rupert and ABSA Bank; the looting of South African Airways (SAA) by the likes of Coleman Andrews and his consulting firm Bain & Company; the Oppenheimer family operating a private airport inside a national key point and demanding that it be given rights to upgrade into an international private airport; and the billions of rands that leave the shores of SA illegally as “illicit financial outflows” daily.
President Zuma, we call upon you to do the right thing. Step forward and lead! Use your constitutional powers to put an end to corruption. Set up the much needed JCOI on state capture with comprehensive terms of reference to deal with all corruption!
Issued by the National Coordinating Committee of Black First Land First (BLF NCC)
31 May 2017
Black First Land First Email:[email protected]
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Website: www.blf.org.za
Zanele Lwana
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27799867225
Lindsay Maasdorp
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 915 2957
Brian Tloubatla
(Deputy National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 82 216 7664