If football is the “Beautiful Game”, politics must be the “Ugly Game”.
That much is clear after the shocking events of the past few days.
The drama kicked off last week when Roger de Sa resigned as coach of Ajax Cape Town.
The Cape PSL club had not won one of its six games in the league this season.
By his own admission, De Sa acknowledged he was failing, and did the honourable thing and stepped down.
Then earlier this week, Orlando Pirates manager Muhsin Ertugral jumped ship - after his team was klapped6-1 by SuperSport United.
He described the defeat as his worst ever, an embarrassment, and felt he didn’t deserve to be Bucs boss any longer.
It takes a big man to admit he messed up, and do the right thing.
Now compare these guys with dikvel Shaun Abrahams.
The National Prosecuting Authority head stieked uit grof, beating his chest as he charged Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan with fraud last month.
“The days of disrespecting the decisions of the NPA are over. The days of unaccountability and not holding senior government officials accountable are over,” he postured.
Before he could drop the mic, the rand had taken a plunge of more than three percent, sending shock waves through the economy.
Well, it turns out Abrahams didn’t even have a case to start with, and this week withdrew the charges.
Now, I ask you with tears in my sexy blue eyes: why risk a market meltdown - the economy is already a nudge away from junk status and the livelihood of millions of South Africans - by charging the finance minister without any evidence?
Surely for someone as high profile as a minister, you would make sure you had your ducks in a row.
And over what? A Sars employee’s early retirement package?
Really? Couldn’t Sars’ Human Resources department sort that out?
Then Abrahams had the nerve to blame his colleagues at the NPA who had allegedly recommended that Gordhan be prosecuted.
And, of course, he blamed Gordhan for refusing to cooperate with the investigation.
Nonsense. Abrahams is not that incompetent to willingly prosecute a cabinet minister without any evidence.
The only conclusion one can draw is that his hand was forced.
He has compromised himself and the NPA, which is now a laughing stock.
Mr Abrahams, if you have any honour, you know what to do.
But on to the business of the day.
The “State of Capture” report is out.
Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has traced an intricate web of konkeling that involves the President, ministers, the Guptas and state enterprises.
For now, it is all just explosive allegations, and the report has recommended that a judicial commission of enquiry be established to investigate.
The findings of the enquiry would be released in six months’ time.
And if it is found that any of the parties implicated are guilty of corruption - including Jacob Zuma - they must all be sacked on the spot.