Pieter-Louis Myburgh defends Gangster State in radio interview

Myburgh discusses the content of Gangster State and responds to the ANC's reaction to this revelatory book with CapeTalk's Kieno Kammies

02 April 2019 - 10:42 By penguin random house sa
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Ace Magashule
Ace Magashule
Image: Simphiwe Nkwali

In spite of Cyril Ramaphosa’s ‘New Dawn’, there are powerful forces in the governing party that risk losing everything if corruption and state capture finally do come to an end. At the centre of the old guard’s fightback efforts is Ace Magashule, a man viewed by some as South Africa’s most dangerous politician.

In this explosive book, investigative journalist Pieter-Louis Myburgh ventures deeper than ever before into Magashule’s murky dealings, from his time as a struggle activist in the 1980s to his powerful rule as premier of the Free State province for nearly a decade, and his rise to one of the ANC’s most influential positions.

PODCAST: Listen to commentary on the issue.

Unravelling Ace Magashule's Web of Capture.
Gangster State: Unravelling Ace Magashule's Web of Capture.
Image: PRH

Sifting through heaps of records, documents and exclusive source interviews, Myburgh explores Magashule’s relationship with the notorious Gupta family and other tender moguls; investigates government projects costing billions that enriched his friends and family but failed the poor; reveals how he was about to be arrested by the Scorpions before their disbandment in the late 2000s; and exposes the methods used to keep him in power in the Free State and to secure him the post of ANC secretary-general.

Most tellingly, Myburgh pieces together a pack of leaked emails and documents to reveal shocking new details on a massive Free State government contract and Magashule’s dealings with a businessman who was gunned down in Sandton in 2017. These files seem to lay bare the methods of a man who usually operated without leaving a trace.

Gangster State is an unflinching examination of the ANC’s top leadership in the post–Jacob Zuma era, one that should lead readers to a disconcerting conclusion: When it comes to the forces of capture, South Africa is still far from safe.

Pieter-Louis Myburgh is an award-winning investigative journalist. He has done work on multibillion-rand contracts at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa); shady intelligence projects at the State Security Agency (SSA); and the #GuptaLeaks. He is the author of the bestselling The Republic of Gupta. Myburgh is a member of Scorpio, the Daily Maverick’s celebrated investigations team.

Click here to listen to Myburgh and Kammies' CapeTalk conversation.

PODCAST: Listen to commentary on the issue.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now