There is a long list of people who stood idly by, turned a blind eye or enabled the deterioration and destruction of state institutions, Hermione Cronje, the head of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Investigative Directorate, said on Saturday.

“The challenge we face is our list of potential accused is very long, it’s actually impossibly long,” she said, addressing the University of Cape Town’s Summer School guest lecture.

“In some institutions, it’s hard to pick out people who can credibly give evidence in a criminal trial about what happened because they were either complicit or will struggle to answer questions about what they did to stop what was happening.”

When she returned to the NPA last year to build up the directorate from scratch, Cronje’s anxiety was not that she might not have the skills to do it, but more about whether it was doable at all.

“Again, I have fears, fears that are your fears; fears that the damage wrought is irreparable, fears that the expectations of the public are impossible to meet and concerned at the state of the institution I had once proudly associated with,” she said.

Cronje has seen over the years what corruption could do to institutions. Everyone in South Africa saw what was going on with state capture and some tried to fight it, but most did nothing.

“Still, day in and day out I am gobsmacked at the scope and extent of the devastation.”

There were a few kingpins but many more mid-level government officials who participated in some way, those in the private sector who took advantage of opportunities or participated and professionals such as lawyers and accountants who were enablers.

“Few people put up their hand and said, ‘I won’t allow this, not on my watch’.”

Apartheid legacy

Cronje said the legacy of apartheid played a role.

Policies were put in place as a result of social objectives to increase black representation in institutions and make them more representative of the country, as well as reflecting the needs of the whole country.

The policies left a field for discretion to be exercised, by putting in place criteria other than merit and price and favouring those who met developmental objectives.

The corrupt perverted the procurement function and created organisations that purported to address these needs, effectively setting up pipelines to procure money.

Racial antipathy

Cronje said there was also racial antipathy.

“So, you have black people, suspicious, frustrated that they don’t get taken seriously, that white people always feel they have the skills, they are better equipped, better.

“So, when they see another black person behaving in ways that know is wrong, they are less likely to call it out because then they are siding with the white people who victimised them, as they feel anyway.”

It was this “uniquely South African problem” that allowed people not to call out greed or rampant looting.

‘We know who we are after’

The packed lecture theatre laughed when Cronje said her disclaimers to addressing them was that she was not going to tell them who was next to be prosecuted, what the charges were or even who was on the list.

“We know who we are after and we will prosecute them. We have begun and will continue to work our way at it,” she said.

“It’s happening but happening while we are fixing the ship and the ship is so broken that that is a consuming exercise. Not just broken, it’s rotten in places and there are some saboteurs around who are undoing the work we are trying to do.”

She said they were forging a good team and slowly gaining ground.

“[We] require all of you to get off your butts and look at how you can actively support, instead of actively watching and waiting to see what is happening next.”

Her unit was working methodically and carefully as it expected anything it did would end up in constitutional challenges.

“Most days I am cautiously optimistic. Some days I am wildly optimistic and think I have the best job in the world. I think we all keep going because there are no other options.”

A sixth suspect wanted for the murder of a constable in Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape, appeared in the Mqanduli Magistrate’s Court on Friday, over a month after a gang gunned the officer down and forced another into the back of a police vehicle with his dead colleague.

Constable Lonwabo Soga was shot dead on December 3.

He and his colleague Constable Siyabonga Nani, 41, had reportedly been attending to a complaint in Coffee Bay when they were approached by six men in a double-cab bakkie who were ostensibly in need of police assistance.

Soga, in the driver’s seat, was approached by two of the men while another two were on Nani’s side of the vehicle, Hawks spokesperson Captain Anelisa Ngcakani said.

“One of the suspects standing at the passenger’s side drew his firearm and shot at Constable Soga, who died instantly. The suspects then ordered Constable Nani, who was not armed, to move the body of Constable Soga from the driver’s seat to the back of the state vehicle. Constable Nani was then forced to get inside the back,” Ngcakani said.

The gang drove the police van to a nearby shop where a security guard was forced to open the gate, reasoning that it was an official vehicle.

“It is alleged that the suspects went to the owner’s house and demanded R3 000, liquor and tobacco. The suspects then allegedly fled the crime scene with the shop owner’s Nissan Navara, which they allegedly abandoned on the way to Mqanduli.

“The state vehicle was left on the crime scene with Constable Nani and Soga locked at the back.”

Bonginkosi Ndevu, 27, was arrested in an intelligence-driven operation in Qunu on Wednesday.

Afika Bavu, 21, Afikile Nabo, 27, Xhantilomzi Ntshinga, 27, and Lubabalo Hlomendlini, 37, were arrested on December 6. Hlomendlini was apprehended in Mqanduli and the rest in Mthatha.

Anela Pencil, 31, was arrested five days later at a hospital in Elliotdale. He had allegedly been stabbed by Ndevu in a dispute, Ngcakani said.

“During the arrest of the first four accused, the team recovered six unlicensed firearms, including the one belonging to the deceased member who was robbed during the incident, as well as ammunition. An assortment of police equipment including hand cuffs, a reflector jacket and a hand radio were also found during the arrests.”

All six are expected back in the dock on January 22. They face charges of murder, attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Citizen organisations have called on the government to accept and act on this week’s judgment ordering that Makana’s Council be dissolved and the municipality be put under administration.

This comes as the Eastern Cape government on Thursday confirmed it would consider appealing Judge Igna Stretch’s landmark ruling in the high court in Makhanda on Tuesday, Grocott’s Mail reported.

In the first judgment of its kind in South Africa, the Eastern Cape’s Provincial Executive has been ordered to dissolve Makana Municipality and appoint an administrator until a new council is elected. The mayor and municipal manager, in their personal capacities, face a punitive cost order, along with various national and provincial government entities.

In a statement to Grocott’s Mail’s on Thursday, Premier Oscar Mabuyane said the application of the judgment would be suspended until the provincial government had decided how to respond to it.

“The judgment has far reaching implications and the Eastern Cape Provincial government is considering appealing the judgment,” Mabuyane said. “Therefore, the application of the judgment, or its effect, will be suspended until such time as a final decision is taken in this regard.”

Hours after Tuesday’s judgment was released, ANC regional chairperson Scara Njadayi told Grocott’s Mail that, in Wednesday’s provincial executive meeting, they would encourage the province and the municipality to appeal the judgment.

Mayor Mzukisi Mpahlwa today told Grocott’s Mail that the council’s mayoral committee, along with senior managers, would meet on Friday to discuss their response. A recommendation to council would follow.

“Council has not yet met and only council can make a decision about our response,” Mpahlwa told Grocott’s Mail. He said a recommendation to councillors would come out of the meeting. Council’s first scheduled meeting is on January 30, but the mayor said it was likely that a special council meeting would be convened earlier.

Meanwhile, the winning applicants – the Unemployed People’s Movement (UPM) and the Grahamstown Residents Association (GRA) – have called on the government to accept the ruling.

The UPM’s Ayanda Kota said in response to Thursday’s news: “It [would be] an indictment on the part of the government to oppose the will of the people. It would indeed be a dark moment for our city and our country.”

Minutes after the judgment was released, an elated Kota had told Grocott’s Mail: “People were united across the spectrum against the political elite of the city… it’s democracy… we hope they will accept that it’s part of the democratic process… they must take their things and go home.”

The GRA likewise called on the government to accept the ruling. In a statement issued last night, GRA chairperson Philip Machanick said: “I see reports that ANC structures are calling for the judgment to be appealed because of the precedent it sets. I propose a different precedent for the government: start governing. That is all we ask.

“Civil society has refused to accept this as normal; the extremely diverse constituencies who have stood up for positive change attest to that. We are not the opposition: we are the people government is meant to serve. The GRA calls on government to accept this judgment as a wake-up call and stop resisting the inevitable – a comprehensive intervention to turn things around.”

The Judge’s two-page order said Makana had failed to provide services to the community in a sustainable manner, promote a safe and healthy environment, structure and manage its administration, budgeting and planning processes, prioritise the community’s needs and promote its social and economic development.

To read more on the details of the judgment, READ: UPM celebrates Makana judgment

The first day of school was off to a dramatic start at Khutlo-Tharo Secondary School in Sebokeng on Wednesday as a fire gutted the school’s administration block.

According to Emfuleni Local Municipality fire and rescue spokesperson Stanley Gaba, firefighters are on the scene battling the blaze.

Gaba says a call from a community member alerting emergency services to the fire was received at around 03:00.

“There is a school, Khutlo-Tharo Secondary, that has caught fire in the admin block. I am rushing to the scene to get details. We will issue a statement on further information later,” Gaba said.

Simon Nwamba, a journalist at the scene, told News24 that only the administration block was affected. Nwamba says community members gathered at the scene, witnessing the fire rage.

While it’s unclear what sparked the blaze, concerned parents and community members have questioned whether they may be dealing with a case of arson.

Residents who spoke News24 said a lack of water prevented them from trying to put out the flames.

Puleng Mofokeng who lives near the school said she was woken by people screaming for help.

“They were shouting that the school was burning. I quickly called my other neighbours.

“We rushed to the school and were greeted by smoke coming from one of the offices, where the fire started.”

Mofokeng said they broke a window in an attempt to gain entry and extinguish the fire, but there was no water in the school.

“All taps were dry because we have been without water in our area since last week. We called Emfuleni Emergency Services and they didn’t answer our calls.

“The fire was spreading to other offices and we had to stand back helplessly until we decided to call the police who responded swiftly,” she said.

Mofokeng said fire fighters in three fire engines from Emfuleni responded two hours later around 04:00 when the fire had grown bigger.

Emfuleni spokesperson Stanley Gaba confirmed that there is a lack of water supply in parts of Sebokeng and Evaton including at Khutlo-Tharo Secondary School. Gaba said the problem was caused by lack of electricity supply at a local reservoir over the weekend. He said power has since been fully restored and the reservoir is currently pumping water. Gaba promised that residents should expect water from their taps, later in the afternoon or evening.

Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi, along with Premier David Makhura, are expected to hand over the newly-renovated Noordgesig Primary School in Diepkloof on Wednesday morning.

@Lesufi Khutlo Tharo Secondary School in Zone 3 Sebokeng up in flames, fire department struggling to stop the fire since around 2am

— Lerato Sabisa (@Lerato_Sabisa) January 15, 2020

Khutlo tharo secondary school in sedibeng is on fire?????????? pic.twitter.com/u7lctpbnYM

— Tony Thobela (@tthobela57) January 15, 2020