Makhosi Khoza‚ a Kaizer Chiefs fan and a mafia boss walk into a bar

The road to Damascus is long and winding‚ and‚ it turns out‚ passes a football stadium and a funeral parlour.

Speaking to TimesLIVE on Friday‚ “rebel” MP Makhosi Khoza explained that a friend’s analogy had caused her to start wondering why she was still in the ANC.

He was a Kaizer Chiefs fan‚ he had told her. But‚ he said‚ if Kaizer Chiefs became a funeral parlour‚ he would have to part ways with them.

“To be honest with you‚” said Khoza‚ “that made me think.”

Khoza should be praised for taking a principled stand that has earned her death threats‚ but holy delayed reaction‚ Batman‚ that made her think?

Not the 783 corruption charges or the ANC Women’s League crucifying Khwezi during Zuma’s rape trial? Not the state-sponsored escape of genocidaire Bashir? Not the legislated theft of public funds at Nkandla? Well‚ maybe not that one: Khoza voted against Zuma paying back the money. But how about that Guptas? Not even them?

Still‚ at least she’s realised that the ANC is no longer a political party‚ something that many South Africans are still confused by.

Last week‚ when Bathabile Dlamini said that her conscience hadn’t put her in Parliament‚ pundits shook their heads in amazement and asked each other how she could be so openly hostile to the country.

Nobody pointed out the obvious‚ namely‚ that Dlamini is a convicted thief. If you expect an unrepentant fraudster to grow a conscience‚ then I’m afraid you‚ not they‚ are the deficient one. More importantly‚ if your ruling party is open about the fact that it hires and protects criminals‚ why are you surprised when it acts like a gang instead of a government?

We were at it again this week‚ when news broke that Khoza had been demoted. How‚ asked talk radio hosts and Twitterers‚ could the ANC so explicitly put its own interests ahead of the country’s?

It’s really simple. Imagine you’re a made man in the mafia. You’ve sworn your vows‚ you’ve backed your Godfather against rival families‚ and you’ve got rich along the way. Now imagine that one day‚ at a family meeting‚ you tell everyone that the business is starting to make you feel uncomfortable. You’ve heard that the police are trying to remove your Godfather‚ and‚ well‚ you sort of see their point.

And you’re still surprised that she got demoted?