A well-staged show of smoke and mirrors

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Before the decision was taken, there was a feeling hanging around like a Gauteng pollution fog that the request would be denied.

After all, the public has, for the last couple of months, been force fed spoonsful of propaganda witchery and bullied into accepting the government’s agenda when it comes to e-tolls, Nkandla and the Marikana shootings.

Consider, firstly, the big investigation that was launched into the e-toll system that led to the ”improved” dispensation.

The dispensation, which was the product of extensive public consultation‚ deliberations within government and approval by the Cabinet, led to no reprieve for motorists.

The e-toll gantries still stand like monstrous purple giants, while the public now faces a daunting conundrum – either pay or vehicle licences cannot be renewed (the legality of this is still debated).

So what if tariffs have been reduced or a 60 per cent discount has been granted on debt? The principle remains that motorists should not be paying for the upgrade of roads, especially since the government saw it fit to increase the fuel levy anyway.

Then, after having to endure months of the EFF chanting ”pay back the money” and Parliament turning into a circus, a report found that our President does not have to pay back a single cent of the Nkandla millions.

Nkandla does affect us all, because taxpayers’ money was used to pay for the R246-million security upgrades (imagine how many houses could be built, or how many mouths could have been fed?).

The conflicting official reports on Zuma’s private home in Nkandla have left South Africans more confused and frustrated than ever.

First public protector Thuli Madonsela found in her report, last year, that money was spent on non-security comforts and, therefore, the President must pay back a reasonable percentage of the amount spent on his new visitors’ centre, amphitheatre, cattle kraal, chicken run and swimming pool.

Police Minister Nathi Nhleko in his report, however, this year found that all the upgrades were vital ”security features”, for which the President is, therefore, not liable.

Apparently, if our President is attacked, then the best option is to either jump into the ”secure” swimming pool (hopefully not chased by crocodiles), or run to the amphitheatre, where he was will mysteriously be protected from all harm.

In the meantime, it appears both reports are wrong, since it seems there is an applicable law in play that states that even essential security measures must be paid for by the owner of the property being upgraded, even if he has not asked for or agreed to the upgrade.

Go figure. Whatever the truth of the law, expect more “pay back the money” chants.

The nation then waited in anticipation (or at least some) for the Marikana report, which took ages to crawl into the public light.

Zuma recently gave a 30-minute summary of the 646-page report (hopefully large font was used) on the Marikana massacre, during which 34 striking miners were killed by the police.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and former Ministers Nathi Mthethwa and Susan Shabangu were found to be blameless.

The report merely placed question marks behind the police’s operational plan on the day of the shooting.

Government once again made all the right moves to walk into the sunset blameless, shrouding the Marikana shooting in a cloud of thousands of empty words that have brought no closure for families of the victims.

Did we expect anything less?

How about a show of hands if anyone really finds the Farlam Commission of Inquiry, or the Nkandla report, credible? Do we really believe all possible effort was made to resolve e-tolls?

Of course not. It is all about politics and about who wields the power and the influence.

Investigations and inquiries are launched, laborious reports are written merely for show and, yes, the show must go on for our government.

Rather buy us all cheeseburgers instead of feeding us reports – such a gesture will feel more genuine and easier to digest.

This is why Nersa’s decision came as a complete shock. Someone actually said “no” to the public being abused, fooled and deceived!

Dennis Bloem, Cope spokesperson, said the humiliation for Eskom is a good lesson for it and for the ruling party.

Indeed, Nersa was not fooled by Eskom and, just so, the government should take note of Nersa’s defiance, because neither are the public fooled by government’s elaborate show of smoke and mirrors.