When I hear an interview described as a ‘trainwreck’, I automatically think of former SARS’ Chief Officer for Digital Information Services and Technology, Mmamathe Makhekhe-Mokhuane.
Perhaps you don’t recognise her name, but I’m sure you’ll recognise the phrase ‘give me protection from yourself’.
At least that mess took place on a local scale, but the same cannot be said for former National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete, who was clearly desperate to protect the ANC’s so-called integrity when she appeared on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head recently.
She appears to have done zero homework, or any form of preparation, ahead of the interview with Mehdi Hasan. As IOL makes clear, that was laid bare for all to see:
Responding to a number of hard-hitting quotes about South Africa’s economic and political challenges since 1994, Mbete appeared to either lose the plot completely or be so out of touch with the reality of the situation that it was actually comical…
Mbete launched into a vague defence of herself and her colleagues. She claimed that she had only learned of a number of issues involving the capture of state-owned entities and high-ranking politicians through the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture.
The list of blunders goes on and on, but you get the drift.
Some of the more ridiculous exchanges can be seen below:
Mehdi Hasan
Mbeki’s AIDS/HIV denialism not allowing AntiRetrovirals leading to 330k deaths. You’re Complicit?Baleka Mbete:
You’re saying as if we plotted that people must die, we didn’t. Health Committee workedMehdi:
Did you talk to Mbeki?Mbete:
It wasn’t for me, I was busy pic.twitter.com/Ha8NtDWWii— Izwe Lethu (@LandNoli) October 21, 2019
330 000 deaths, and not an iota of contrition.
Mention South Africa’s crime rate, and you’ll be met with a similar response.
This exchange is particularly galling:
What a mess
Medhi: South Africa is the 5th highest murder rates in the world.
Baleka Mbete: I am wondering who said that ?
Medhi: The UN you might have heard of them
Baleka Mbete: So what …
pic.twitter.com/bmeOSPmEeo
— King of Leon. (@MightiJamie) October 20, 2019
She ends with a defiant ‘so what?’
Well, this is what happens when nobody is ever held to account – that’s what.
Marikana was also touched upon, although Mbete didn’t have anything resembling a cohesive response:
Baleka Mbete says she has no information on who was held accountable for the Marikana Massacre.
She says she is clueless around the Marikana Massacre. This is the most senior person in the ANC and a former Speaker of Parliament, and she claims to know nothing.
— Boitumelo Madiba
(@bmadiba7) October 20, 2019
Listen to the audience recoil in horror when she plays dumb and says “I’ll find out’.
With the world watching, it’s just another ‘egg on face’ moment. As author Johnny Steinberg points out, it’s also “as if the sheer rottenness of what happened under Jacob Zuma spilled from the stage”.
ANC defenders these days don’t even have the decency to try and spin a good yarn.
For those who are real sticklers for punishment, here’s the full interview:
[source:iol]
