The Sunday Show: Brad Steyn - ANC skeletons & spygames: Cyril, Mashatile, Mchunu, Mkhwanazi

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President Cyril Ramaphosa is “a prisoner of his own party secrets”. So says former double agent and Mandela spy, Brad Steyn, who was Neil de Beer’s brother-in-arms. Steyn - who is now an independent security expert - gives the backstory to Ramaphosa’s rise and reveals the role played by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu - now on special leave. Hailing the bravery of SAPS whistleblower General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Steyn describes how other police generals were burnt when they spoke truth to power. He expresses concern that incoming Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia is “just another cadre deployment”. Commenting on deepening factions in the African National Congress (ANC) as top members jockey to be the party’s next leader, Steyn labels Deputy President Paul Mashatile an “absolutle nightmare” - and says: “what we are witnessing isn't democracy, it's survival and contest for the corrupt elites… and every move is shadowed by dirty money, spy games, and fears of prosecution”. As for the raging diplomatic war between the US and SA, he says: “South Africa is punching way above their diplomatic weight and way below our ethical belt… we've weaponised transformation into a tender cartel and now the world's pulling back the curtain - and you can't blame them.” He fingers BRICS as a “big, big obstacle” and says it is “not a moral alliance”, but “an opportunistic economic bloc…built on double standards and dirty deals, back ends…bribes.”
27 Jul 2025 5AM English South Africa Investing · Business News

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