GARETH VAN ONSELEN: Lindiwe Sisulu’s ethical amnesia
‘The ANC elite produces something new, a kind of self-assured stupidity, as dangerous as it is poisonous’
Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu seems quite favourable towards the recently mooted idea of an amnesty for President Jacob Zuma.
That’s a good thing because she should probably apply for amnesty herself. After all, back in 2008 it was Sisulu who helped lead the small ANC "brains trust", which was established to get Zuma off the legal hook. That worked out well — for Zuma. Not so much for the South African Constitution nor the rule of law. But then Sisulu has never really cared much for SA. Thus, when Sisulu says, "The possibility of amnesty is something that is part and parcel of the character of the ANC" and that, in this regard, "my view, if I am elected leader of the ANC, would be to ensure that whatever happens, the best interests of the ANC prevail", it makes complete sense. Because that’s pretty much exactly how she helped get SA into this mess in the first place: by elevating the ANC and Zuma above the rule of law and actively working to get charges against him quashed.So, Sisulu might be consistent, but presidential material she is not. Not with that kind of judgment. And, her weak moral conviction is...
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