Black First Land First (BLF) is not suprised by the media silence on the leaked report of the Public Protector which says that ABSA must pay back the money stolen from the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). BLF has been calling for the speeding up of the investigation into apartheid looting, but the previous public protector, Thuli Madonsela, was only a protector of white capital and ignored the calls.
Since last Friday, when the story broke out, the usual loud noisemakers on corruption have completely avoided the story. All the Sunday newspapers also literally had a ban on the story. This silence shows that the big and persistent noise made on the Nkandla saga was not in the interest of fighting corruption but rather about regime change and entrenchment of white monopoly capital.
President Jacob Zuma was tormented with never ending calls for him to pay back the money, but now we see complete silence by the media, the opposition parties, trade unionists like Zwelinzima Vavi, backward formations like Save South Africa and many other so called ‘civil society’ organisations.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which in October 2015 said it would occupy ABSA, has itself gone underground and elected to pose for pictures with the representatives of white monopoly capital at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).
The Sunday Times tried a diversionary tactic by putting on its front page a story about Hlaudi Motsoeneng. The story has little to do with Motsoeneng but more to do with white corruption, but the Sunday Times underplayed the fact that white owned Corrobrick admitted wrong doing and promises to pay the money back. The front page headline should have read, “Corrobrick confesses its own corruption”.
Monday daily newspapers have also continued the pattern of silence. The Oppenheimer funded and loud mouth publication on black corruption, Daily maverick, also gave the story a miss. It is is clear that the white owned media is involved in a conspiracy of silence. It looks like the bosses have given clear instructions to kill the story.
BLF wishes to thank Black Twitter for making use of the #BLFvictory and #ABSAmustPay hastags which trended in three consecutive days. We call on all real anti-corruption people to ensure the story doesn’t die. BLF shall wait until 28 February to see if ABSA pays back the money. If they still play delay tactics then BLF shall call for direct action on ABSA.
BLF calls on Barclays to force ABSA to pay back the money forthwith.
BLF wishes to warn SA that white media is going to invent corruption stories about black people to try divert attention from the ABSA billions. Furthermore, BLF wishes to remind the public that the money ABSA must pay is a portion of the R26 billion stolen by, amongst others Sanlam, Johann Rupert and Daimler Chrysler. All of them are going to pay back the money.
We also warn the public that the white owned media is going to start campaigns against the new public protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane. The nation must resist these evil plans by white capital.
We say, Zuma paid back the money, now ABSA must do the same. No stories, no delays!
As for the white owned media, we say your agenda is exposed and you are not objective. You are the bulldogs of white monopoly capital. Your silence on ABSA has proven beyond doubt that you manufacture fake news.
Issued by Black First Land First, National Coordinating Committee (BLF NCC)
Contact details
16 January 2016
Black First Land First Email:[email protected]
Facebook: Black First Land First | Twitter: @black1stland1st
Website: www.blf.org.za
Thandiswa Yaphi
(Deputy National Coordinator)
Cell: +27 63 107 3163
Mail: [email protected]
Zanele Lwana
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 486 9087
Mail: [email protected]
Lindsay Maasdorp
(National Spokesperson)
Cell: +27 79 915 2957
Mail: [email protected]om
