CAIPHUS KGOSANA | Too many in SA aim for money. They should aim to be like Mane

Sadio Mane scoring the winning penalty to give Senegal their maiden Africa Cup of Nations trophy warmed my heart on Sunday night. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy, it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving nation.

You don’t need to have met Mane personally to know that apart from being a supremely talented footballer, he’s a superb human being. He literally plays football with a smile, the sort of guy who has no qualms about anyone. Read more about his humble beginnings and how he has used the mega earnings from his footballing achievements to give back. He gives monthly cash payments to people from his village.

“Why would I want ten Ferraris, 20 watches or two planes? I survived hard times, played football barefoot, did not have an education. Today I can help my people build schools, hospitals, buy clothes and food. I prefer my people receive some of what life has given me,” he once explained to a journalist why unlike other football stars he is not into obscene displays of wealth.

What a bloke!

Humanity basically gives us two personalities — the good people and charlatans.

The JSC's despicable behaviour last week in interviews of four esteemed candidates for the position of chief justice dominated what should have been a robust but respectful engagement with the hopefuls.

In this country, I feel that we are in an endless battle with charlatans and they have the upper hand. Look at how the Judicial Services Commission, an up to now august judicial oversight body, has been soiled by the actions of charlatans. Their despicable behaviour last week in interviews of four esteemed candidates for the position of chief justice dominated what should have been a robust but respectful engagement with the hopefuls. The abhorrent attitude of the charlatans towards certain candidates — notably Gauteng judge president Dunstan Mlambo and deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo — overshadowed the historic endorsement of a woman — Supreme Court of Appeal president judge Mandisa Maya — for the role of chief justice.

I was gnawed at the unfair manner in which Mlambo — a top judicial technocrat — had to face unsubstantiated, unfounded and ridiculous accusations of sexual harassment as a vile way of tarnishing his image. Though the chair of the JSC subsequently ordered that all references to the alleged sexual harassment be expunged from the records, the damage had been done, his good name dragged through mud. Mlambo handled himself in the most astute manner; he doesn’t need the endorsement of charlatans. I’m sure if he had any inkling of how badly they had hijacked the judicial oversight body, and what they had in store for him, he wouldn’t have put his name forward.

Look at Zondo, a jurist of immense intellectual prowess. He should naturally be the automatic choice for chief justice, but by his own admission he has made a lot of enemies by chairing the commission into state capture. The work of that commission in exposing greedy charlatans who almost bankrupted the state is the reason he is most hated and was subject to abuse at the JSC.

The second instalment of Zondo’s reports into state capture exposes in detail how the Gupta charlatans and their henchmen — Malusi Gigaba, Brian Molefe, Siyabonga Gama and others — pillaged state-owned rail entity Transnet. It will take a long time for our SOEs to recover from the corporate vandalism that took place under the Jacob Zuma presidency. 

Charlatans seem to dominate many aspects of life and it is our duty to fight until we triumph over them. They are loud and abrasive in politics, business, sports and other fields.

Look at the taxi industry, for example. Ruthless gangsters terrorise honest taxi owners, bullying them off routes and wantonly murdering in cold blood those who refuse to be bullied. Passengers and drivers live in fear of these charlatans who have hitmen on speed dial.

SA has become a lawless country where criminal gangs run rampant. The corrupt and the greedy are thriving in private enterprise. Not a week passes when we don’t read of a government tender dubiously awarded to entities that are unqualified but benefiting due to political connections.

Many of these charlatans seem to be getting away with their misdeeds. How long have we been waiting for Markus Jooste and those who almost bankrupted Steinhoff to be prosecuted?

Are we going to let these charlatans win?

After decades of falling short at the last hurdle, it was heartening to see Senegal finally achieve continental glory and the star of the show being such a great human being. The good guys won.