LESEGO MAHLANGU | Mahlatsi wrong to use black men to illustrate graft

Malaika Mahlatsi's opinion piece on how education does not necessarily produce ethical leaders relies on lazy scapegoating mechanisms that only address the symptoms of corruption, rather than a critical examination of how corruption is deeply embedded in SA.

By using the names and faces of black men to illustrate the catastrophic repercussions of corruption, Mahlatsi's argument falls into the trap of individualising and racialising corruption rather than interrogating its institutionalisation in SA.

Mahlatsi's analysis fails to demonstrate a nuanced understanding of corruption, instead relying on superficial critiques that hardly scratch the surface. Her assertion that John Steenhuisen's comments on the EFF are “profound” rings hollow, given the DA's history of selectively vilifying black people while remaining mum on more egregious cases of corruption, such as the Steinhoff heist.

She used a political stunt by the DA to qualify her argument and that reeks of opportunistic tendencies. 

Naming and shaming corrupt individuals is not my contention. But relying on the names and faces of black men to illustrate the catastrophic repercussions of corruption is a superficial approach that fails to understand the institutionalisation of corruption in SA. 

Malaika's opinion is just that – an opinion that lacks the depth or qualifications to interrogate corruption from its roots and holistically. Her stance clearly rests on a propaganda project aimed at vilifying the EFF and Julius Malema over a R16m donation, despite the VBS heist being worth R2bn and implicating multinational corporations like KPMG.

This propaganda project distracts the public from obtaining a full account of the matter for the sake of true accountability. But this trend is typical and suits an agenda that merely has a problem with “alleged corrupt personalities” rather than corruption as a whole. This is the same agenda that hardly has the same zeal against private sector “white-collar” corruption. 

Prominent criminal masterminds involved in the Steinhoff scandal, such as former CEO Markus Jooste, have significant qualifications. Jooste, a qualified accountant, orchestrated one of the largest financial frauds in SA history. Yet, the discourse rarely centres on his education or profiling when discussing their crimes. Instead, corruption is often racialised and portrayed as a predominantly black problem.

The Steinhoff saga resulted in losses of over R200bn on the JSE and about R25bn in government pension funds. This scandal exemplifies the catastrophic consequences of unchecked corporate greed and corruption. Yet, Mahlatsi chooses to focus on allegations against Floyd Shivambu rather than exploring the systemic issues that enable corruption.

If the likes of Malaika were truly interested in advancing a fruitful discourse on unethical leadership, she had ample opportunity to draw from the Steinhoff saga. Instead, she chose to drag in Shivambu over allegations that may never reach a court of law because they are baseless. 

By scapegoating individuals like Shivambu, Mahlatsi perpetuates a narrative that corruption is primarily a black problem rather than a symptom of a broader societal issue. This approach ignores the critical role of institutionalised power structures in perpetuating corruption. Critical race theory extensively affords us an understanding about how power operates to maintain systematic hegemony and influence. Even over mainstream media to advance its propaganda. 

If we rely on critical race theory, we can see that such scapegoating serves to perpetuate racial stereotypes and maintain existing power structures. The theory highlights how systemic issues are often masked by focusing on individual actors, thereby diverting attention from the broader social, political, and economic correlations that underpin corruption.

Seeking to rely on the political theatrics to advance such a pivotal issue at a time wherein South Africans are looking to rise above politics is very disappointing.

• Mahlangu is community activist at Not In My Name International. She writes in her personal capacity.