No canary in the coal mine
Ramatlhodi took a long time to raise state capture claims. But they do help piece the puzzle together
Better late than never, as the saying goes. In September 2015, Ngoako Ramatlhodi ceased to be mineral affairs minister in President Jacob Zuma’s cabinet. He was moved to the public service & administration portfolio in a reshuffle that placed Mosebenzi Zwane in charge of the mining portfolio. Zwane was soon embroiled in a scandal over claims he helped the Gupta family seal their purchase of Optimum Coal from Glencore. There were clearly dodgy dealings going on behind the scenes. Ramatlhodi, it was commonly held, had been shifted aside to allow the Gupta state capture agenda to express itself more fully in the minerals sector. Ramatlhodi, still drawing a minister’s salary and privileges in his new portfolio, remained silent. Until now. In March, he was finally shuffled all the way out of the cabinet door.
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