Award-winning columnist, Bhekisisa Mncube, praises President Cyril Ramaphosa for rebuilding the criminal justice institutions.

Sawubona Mongameli, His Excellency Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa. Hold your fire, I repeat, hold your fire. Mr President, I have called for a unilateral cessation of hostilities between you and me for seven days. It begins now until next week, Friday at dawn.

I have said before, Mr President, you’re the metaphorical bundle of joy for the people of South Africa. In you, we see the best of ourselves. May you live long enough to see your son Andile grow a spine to go toe-to-toe with Zuma Jnr, Duduzane! I digress.

The release of peace doves, Mr President, allows ample time for me to praise you for rebuilding the criminal justice institutions that were hollowed out during the iNkandla Great Heist, “nine lost years” as it were.

As I was writing this letter, news broke that you had listened to me and placed the Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, on special leave before the SIU report. Thank you.

I was reminded of your astute, albeit slow, moves to restore some semblance of order to the justice sector when the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court denied bail to the top Gupta lieutenant Iqbal Sharma this week.

Sharma was brought to justice by your “Scorpion-like” Investigating Directorate (ID) created to add impetus to the fight against corruption.

As the adage goes, you certainly didn’t bring a knife to the gunfight, as ID head Advocate Hermione Cronje shows her mettle in various criminal matters before our courts. Cronje investigates thieves with vigour and verve. The birth of the ID coincided with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) rejuvenation that now boasts new leadership, including its media-shy head Advocate Shamila Batohi and deputies. These are men and women who will lead us to Paradise, and the thugs, hopefully, to prison.

But the masterstroke, Mr President, in your “long-game” political manoeuvre, is the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) Special Tribunal that has a statutory mandate to recover public funds syphoned from the fiscus through corruption, fraud and illicit money flows. Its nifty footwork is beginning to bite.

This week alone, the SIU obtained orders to freeze accounts holding R22.4-million of the R431-million at stake in the Gauteng schools sanitising scam. Last month it froze R40.7-million in the same matter.

Last year, the SIU froze several bank accounts holding R38.7-million related to the Gauteng PPE scandal. These included the bank accounts of the late Chief Madzikane II Thandisizwe Diko of the Royal Bhaca Projects notoriety.

In a high-profile matter, former Transnet executive Herbert Msagala forfeited to the state a tidy sum of R18 460 020.

Mr President, let the SIU proceed without hindrance to search and seize wires at Mkhize’s upmarket home. According to the Daily Maverick, Digital Vibes made payments of nearly R7 000 to settle invoices from an electrical contractor for work at the Mkhize pozi. We need those wires, pronto.

As a country, we are pleased that the NPA has finally asked Interpol to issue a red notice against the Gupta brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh, along with their wives.

We are thrilled that the Estina dairy farm scandal’s round one of prosecution involving R25-million is well underway. This seemingly minor amount was a precursor to a more audacious move that allegedly saw R288-million of Estina dairy farm’s money make its way to the Gupta empire.

The list of accused in the Estina matter is like a who’s who in government circles, featuring two former heads of the Free State Department of Agriculture and the finance chief. Hopefully, round two will cause a volcanic eruption as political bigwigs Mosebenzi Zwane and suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule are set to be joined to the case as accused, allegedly.

Mr President, these justice institutions you have created or augmented need resources only from your government, not interference or for them to become a tool for the politically connected to hound out their political foes.

As a society, we are suffering from corruption news fatigue. We are tired of the same song: “Let’s wait for the investigation to unfold.”

Mr President, you have a rare opportunity to change the narrative. Let’s read about arrests and criminal convictions, qha.

In the meantime, Mr President, let’s hit them where it hurts the most, in their pockets.

Let the high and mighty of the ANC who mortgaged our country’s riches to their friends, face the music. Till next week my man. “Send me.”

This Letter to Mahlamba Ndlopfu is written by Bhekisisa Mncube a former senior Witness political journalist, the 2020 regional winner in the Opinion category of the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Award, and author of The Love Diary of a Zulu Boy, a memoir.

This opinion piece was first published in the Witness/News24.