Ramaphosa has more questions to answer now after O'Sullivan's testimony

Last week in this column I argued that President Cyril Ramaphosa would have to come in person and testify before Parliament’s Ad-hoc Committee on the police and the criminal justice system as well as the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

After listening to self-styled forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan’s long and convoluted testimony before the committee this week, Ramaphosa has no choice but to testify live or risk everyone joining the dots and making the obvious conclusions that are there for all to make about him and his promises of renewal and cleaning up.

Of all the claims, allegations and shaggy-dog stories from the controversial immigrant who now claims to be a proud South African, the one about him training Ramaphosa as a police reservist takes the cake for me. I’m not dismissing it as it is backed up by tangible evidence – a picture of the trainer of questionable qualifications with his broadly smiling “very good student” and a wooden shield.

“Cyril becomes weekend warrior in Fairland,” the story is headlined in a local newspaper.

The evidence is there. The training did take place, but there’s something puzzling – and amusing, if not revealing – about our president.

And then, years later, an adviser to the former “weekend warrior” who had risen to become president approaches the anti-crime activist-investigator for “informal advice” to help appoint a permanent national police commissioner. What happened to the National Development Plan’s recommendations that the commissioner should be appointed through a competitive, merit-based, and transparent process – not “informal advice”?

Whether O’Sullivan is a spy or not, a patriot of the old and new South Africa or not – putting aside the other two countries of which he is also a citizen – his testimony this week muddied the waters more than give clarity about our corruption-infested criminal justice system. Is this, perhaps, his agenda after all? To muddy the waters so that others can carry out their ulterior agendas for South Africa. Apparently there are people around the world who think our rich, beautiful and strategically important country couldn't be left to us South Africans to run on our own.

After last night's State of the Nation Address, I know many of you fellow South Africans are sick and tired of Ramaphosa's voice. I’m not calling for another long two-hour monologue from the president. What South Africa needs now is to have Ramaphosa testifying live to restore the public trust in the leadership, the police and the entire criminal justice system.