By Johnathan Paoli
African Congress for Transformation (ACT) leader Ace Magashule has launched a scathing attack on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration, the justice system, and elements within the security cluster.
Speaking at the first of the party’s three annual national council meetings in Bloemfontein, Free State, convened to clarify the ACT’s direction and respond to national developments, Magashule described South Africa as a “captured state,” accusing the judiciary of political interference and claiming the government had lost the confidence of the people.
“They pretend to fight corruption in state-owned enterprises, but the president himself is hiding reports from the people. The National Prosecuting Agency has been infiltrated by both internal and external forces,” he said.
The briefing centred on recent allegations raised by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, whom the party described as “a brave man” and “a patriot facing persecution”.
ACT spokesperson Mohau Khumalo said a document outlining the party’s direction would be produced from the conference, “pathing the way forward” ahead of next year’s local government elections.
Opening the address, Magashule condemned what he described as a double standard in the application of justice in South Africa.
The party cited the sealing of President Ramaphosa’s 2017 CR17 campaign donor records and the unresolved Phala Phala farm scandal as evidence of the president “hiding skeletons” while promoting a façade of transparency.
Magashule labelled the government’s actions as “tactics to delay and deflect” public accountability and declared ACT’s lack of confidence in the judiciary and prosecutorial bodies.
The party pointed to evidence allegedly gathered by Mkhwanazi implicating high-ranking individuals in organised crime, drug trafficking, and political interference.
“We salute General Mkhwanazi for his courage. He is being targeted because he tried to take on mafias and drug lords. The attention has been shifted to him in order to silence the truth,” Magashule said.
He outlined how ministerial interference was allegedly undermining the operational independence of the police.
A specific case cited involved a letter allegedly sent by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu to a provincial commissioner—bypassing National Commissioner Fannie Masemola—directing the closure of politically sensitive investigations.
The party argued that this amounted to insubordination and a violation of protocol, warning that the police minister could be guilty of defeating the ends of justice.
ACT drew parallels with the case of former Hawks head General Berning Ntlemeza, claiming he too was removed for investigating high-profile individuals.
The party also responded to rising speculation of a potential coup in South Africa, following recent warnings by the Minister of State Security about possible unrest.
ACT strongly rejected the claims, calling them “fear-mongering” and a deliberate attempt to divert public attention from pressing national issues.
“When I saw the minister talking about a coup in South Africa, I was shocked. We are a democratic country. That statement has only one purpose, to instil fear in the population,” Magashule said.
He accused the state of using a similar narrative during the July 2021 unrest, “concocting imaginary threats to justify authoritarian responses”, and insisted that ACT’s mobilisation efforts were not a coup attempt but a legitimate democratic right.
“We fought apartheid. We will not be intimidated. This is not a coup, this is mass-based, peaceful protest,” he said.
Magashule also took aim at the newly formed Government of National Unity (GNU), dismissing it as a “government of national betrayal” and claiming it was formed through elite pacts that disregard the will of the people and protect vested interests.
ACT leaders pledged to align with progressive formations and the broader public to “reject this illegitimate administration”, ending the briefing with a call for mass mobilisation and support for whistleblowers and security officials exposing corruption.
“We call on all our members, and all South Africans who love this country, to join peaceful marches across the country. Let us defend our justice warriors. Hands off General Mkhwanazi and others like him,” Magashule said.
INSIDE POLITICS