http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20090407113853935C926953

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20090406142046419C560684

In my view the NDPP is legally bound to remain within the confines of the NPA Act and the Prosecution Policy – that is, he is empowered only by the terms of those documents in making the decision that he has made.

My reading is that he did not attempt to relate his decision to any of the empowering provisions. He argued case law, but in a context where this could not be scrutinised – the appropriate forum for those considerations would be the application for a stay of prosecution.

There is something in us that finds it difficult to accept that somebody could stand there and (effectively) lie to the nation. But he did.

Ngcuka being credited with the creation of COPE. I want to take a bet that the way that PdV and his beloved media is going to spin that is that the NPA is now being abused to persecute the ANC’s political enemies.

“Neoliberalism has rolled to victory under the red banner”

I certainly hope that is not going to be the case. Apparently “the markets” have not moved much so this may not a good sign at all. I imagine we are heading for friction again between SACP, COSATU and the ANC.

Civil society? Virtually all the so-called civil society organisations are in the bag with Zuma. They, like Zuma, are bankrolled by big business. So is the press. Neoliberalism has rolled to victory under the red banner (note how, for instance, Hogan’s murderous cheeseparing of the health-care budget has been greeted with screams of joy by the media).

This is the end of the campaign over the last fifteen years to destroy the 1994 settlement, and it has been successful partly because so much money was involved (and hence so many people were compromised) and partly because so many people turned out not to have the convictions they professed.

The fact that McCarthy or whomever else may have abused process (it all seems a bit murky, given that we do not have the contents of the tapes in their entirety, but it does seem incriminating from what we have) does not change the fact that the NPA under Pikoli was establishing for itself a fearsome reputation among those on the dubious side of the law – a lot of ANC cadres included. They had extremely skilled and competent people working there, and had a phenomenal conviction rate.

They were established by the ANC, not inherited from Apartheid. It was only when they started investigating things like Travelgate and the Arms Deal that they ANC suddenly realised that they may have bitten off more than they could chew – especially once an independent and strong willed NDPP was appointed.

Unfortunately, with Pikoli fired for ridiculous reasons (and contrary to the “independent” commission of inquiry), and the acting NDPP suddenly dropping the charges with this miraculous new evidence (which has clearly been around for a while), whatever credibility the NPA had just got blasted away – purely because it looks like Mpshe is acting at the behest of Luthuli House, which is in stark contrast to the real NDPP.

I do agree with you though – this whole Arms Deal stinks to high Heaven, and should be blown wide open. But I disagree – Zuma is not a “naughty child” – he is about to become president of one of the most important countries in Africa, and should be expected to account for his role in this scandal, along with Mbeki, Thint, Shaik, and whoever else is involved. If there is evidence that McCarthy abused process, he should be prosecuted fully too. But Zuma is important for more than just the fact than he looks somewhat guilty – people judge our country based on the calibre of our leadership, and he’s right at the top of that pile, thanks to the SACP and Cosatu. It is impossible to project a positive image of SA now – read the international news reports on the subject, and judge for yourself how the rest of the world views us after today. But then again, China still like us, so I suppose the rest of the world can go jump huh?

Still, we need this Arms Deal dealt with properly, like you say Ozone. Unfortunately, under a Zuma presidency, it’s never going to happen – get used to the idea, because this is the man that SA will blindly vote into power come election day.

“This is a complete mockery of justice, and has left the NPA, the NIA, the former administration and the future administration with little more than shreds of stained credibility.”

And to think just a few days ago you and the ‘constitutional expert” was trying to convince us all that the Scorpions were the best thing to happen to South Africa since peanut butter sandwiches. Now it turns out they were indeed political a political weapon, abusing our trust, our young democracy and the constitution to defend a neocolonialist political dispensation, inherited from the “cold war” days of Apartheid and that has left the a majority of our people behind in poverty and despair.

I certainly hope this is not the end of this. Like Piet Mulder I want to know who was behind Ngcuka and McCarthy ? Who were those “elements of Apartheid security structures” and “foreign intelligence agencies” working with the Scorpions ?

I want the entire arms-deal exposed. What was the role of the Tony Blairs, the BAEs and the Mbekis. Unlike PdV I’m not satisfied with the fall guy – some naughty child who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar while the big chiefs were carrying off the crown jewels, it should be escalated into an international incident that would shake our planet’s moral consciousness to the core.

Then what has transpired during the unfortunate past 10 years in South Africa will certainly not have been in vain.