HumairaaMayet | Image: The Reading List | 4 April 2019
Investigative journalist and author of Gangster State, Pieter-Louis Myburgh spoke to Salaamedia’s Inayet Wadee about the contents of his book, the controversies surrounding its publication and the responses it has elicited thus far on the popular morning radio show, News & Views.
While he went into detail about controversies surrounding Ace Magashule, teh current ANC secretary –general, Myburgh stated that his book focused on the conduct and handling of government affairs in South Africa, and did not check only on specific personalities, but rather the ruling party, the executive and the country as a whole.
Magashule, an ANC member who served as premier of the Free State until 2018, was involved in the Vrede Dairy Farm scandal with the Guptas. Myburgh exposed this particular scandal in a scathing manner, emphasising the role of Magashule and the ANC in its entirety, played in the controversy. Myburgh claims that Magashule “handled the government’s affairs like a mafia boss” and claimed that Magashule was given the chance to put forth his side of the story but chose not to.
Gangster Statehas elicited a wide array of responses from the ANC, all of which either involved denials or claims that the book was either fake news or a disguised political vendetta. Myburgh called these “sad statements” and said that the ANC simply denied his allegations because they are no longer capable of grappling in an intellectual fashion. The ANC also attacked media outlets who provided reports on the book, specifically the City Press and the Sunday times.
With elections fast approaching, the ANC is on the offensive, hoping to delay the publication of Myburgh’s book, fearing that it may result in an unsuccessful election season. Yet Myburgh claimed that the book is a culmination of years of research and that he did not time it to line up with the national elections.
Finally, Myburgh stated that while the ANC may put up a unified front, it is simply an illusion. Many of the party members fundamentally disagree with Magashule and his actions.
