South Africa Is a Confirmed Criminal & Mafia State - Only Second to Colombia!

In every community setting across South Africa, the dominant conversation is about the criminal activities of the ANC party and government. Multiple commissions of inquiry have exposed serious acts of corruption, only for the cases to fizzle out without consequence. The only commission that stood out was the Mkhwanazi Commission - because it revealed the devil in the detail. It exposed the magnitude of corruption embedded in key levers of state power.

Corruption began early. When Nelson Mandela left his Soweto home for the leafy suburb of Houghton, courtesy of De Beers magnate Mr. Oppenheimer, it set a dangerous precedent. That gesture came with strings attached - one of which was to distance himself from Winnie Mandela. At the time, few realized such gestures carried political implications.

There is not much money to be made in politics. A politician's salary does not support opulent living in white suburbs. Yet black elites strive to emulate white lifestyles - at all costs. Among themselves, competition becomes vicious: Who owns the better home? Which holiday resorts do they frequent? What schools do their children attend? How many luxury cars? How many domestic workers?

This competition is evident in the case of President Ramaphosa's nephew, Hangwani Maumela, who looted over R1 billion from Tembisa Hospital. He bought multiple villas - one in Sandton worth R20 million - and four luxury cars, three of them Lamborghinis.

Criminals and mafias know how to approach black politicians in key ministries - Police, Justice, even the Presidency. Once backdoor deals are made, the politician becomes powerless. Criminals dictate terms: who gets released from prison, which whistleblowers are silenced. Drugs enter the country unchecked. Human trafficking is rampant. Recently, over 100 women and children from Malawi were trafficked into South Africa in containers. Lack of oversight made detection impossible, Mkhwanazi said.

Many politicians are now part of these underground syndicates - becoming criminals themselves. South Africa has adopted a Colombian-style mafia economy. The silence surrounding the death of Ambassador Nkosinathi Mthethwa is disturbing. Even Julius Malema's name has surfaced - he reportedly spoke to Mthethwa shortly before his death. This suggests that no one is clean.

South Africa needs a complete reset - a renewed commitment to serve its 64.5 million citizens, most of whom are black and living below the poverty line. The ANC has failed. It made empty promises in 1994 and has since been captured by criminals. Citizens must reclaim power.

What would a reset look like? South Africa is not Zimbabwe - not even by a stretch. Its intelligentsia remains intact. There are platforms for critique, spaces for dissent. Activists and think tanks can challenge the ANC without fear of death.

In Zimbabwe, this is impossible. Ibbo Mandaza's SAPES Trust was recently petrol-bombed. The security guard was abducted. Those who dare to speak out are imprisoned or eliminated - like Itai Dzamara. Zimbabwe's educated class has fled, not out of disloyalty, but to protect their children. The absence of intelligentsia is now being felt.

South Africa still has vibrant platforms exploring alternatives to the ANC. But the country is collapsing before our eyes. There is urgency. If the rot reaches the presidency, the ANC must be dismantled. A new dispensation - beyond politics - must be imagined.

Before Zimbabwe's 2017 coup, the country teetered on collapse. Ibbo Mandaza and others proposed a National Transitional Authority (NTA) to buffer the fall. The idea was to avoid chaos and create a roadmap for recovery. Somalia and Sudan show what happens when there is no Plan B.

The NTA was designed to restore constitutional governance, reform key institutions, transform the electoral framework, and stabilize the economy. It would replace both executive and legislature for 3-5 years, with a singular mandate: reform.

Prince Mashele, speaking on Sizwe Mpofu's platform, argued that ANC leaders must be held accountable. Investigate them. Follow the money. Prosecute the guilty. That is the first step toward a reset.

Second, a national dialogue must begin. A reset means suspending politics and selecting a coalition of technocrats - ethical, educated, competent, black and white - to govern for 15 years without elections. True reform is only possible with leadership dedicated to the people.

Democratic elections that reproduce the same corrupt, unqualified ANC politicians must end. The reset button must remove the ANC permanently from power.

Ibbo Mandaza and Prince Mashele's proposals converge. Both advocate for technocratic governance. Their ideas echo a continental trend. In West Africa and the Sahel, countries are improving living standards - without parliamentary democracy.

Mashele proposes suspending parliament for 15 years. Mandaza's NTA spans 3-5 years. The methods differ, but the goal is the same: reform.

Mashele goes further - calling for the removal of racial, social, and economic barriers in leadership. This would allow the best professionals from the private sector to serve. Zimbabwe's farm invasions were a disaster. The land was not given to the people, but to the elite. It brought hunger and poverty.

Neither Ramaphosa nor Mnangagwa can lead this renewal. Both countries need a new generation of educated, ethical leaders. A renaissance leadership - one that understands the complexity of tribal dynamics and builds unity for the common good.