Enough is Enough! We must rise against the ANC's mafia syndicate and its devastating toll

As a proud member of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), I stand unapologetically in the trenches of the struggle for true economic emancipation, gazing into the abyss that the African National Congress (ANC) has dug for our nation through decades of unchecked corruption, criminality, and betrayal. What was once a liberation movement has devolved into a mafia syndicate, a criminal enterprise that shields its gangsters while betraying the masses it claims to represent.

The unfolding scandal in July 2025 exemplifies this disaster: President Cyril Ramaphosa’s pathetic decision to place Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave amid grave allegations of corruption and interference in the South African Police Service (SAPS), rather than firing him outright and pursuing prosecution. Instead of decisive action, Ramaphosa opts for delays and deflection, appointing a judicial commission of inquiry with a vague timeline.

This is not governance; it’s complicity in crime. Ramaphosa is unequivocally the head of this mafia syndicate, the Don of the ANC mafia, protecting his cronies while South Africa spirals into chaos. Enough is enough! We in the EFF cannot allow this corrupt rule to persist, as it plunges our people into depths of crime, deprivation, and destruction. This is the year of the picket lines for us in the EFF. It is now the time for the fighters, the masses, the workers, the youth to rise, unite, and dismantle this mafia syndicate before it is too late.

Let us focus squarely on the current crisis engulfing our law enforcement and government, a crisis that the EFF has long foreseen and warned against. In early July 2025, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi levelled explosive allegations against Mchunu and senior SAPS officials, accusing them of meddling in investigations into construction mafias, political assassinations, and corrupt contracts, including a suspicious bulletproof vest procurement deal. These interferences are designed to protect criminal syndicates with deep ties to ANC figures, enabling extortion, violence, and looting to thrive unchecked.

Rather than suspending Mchunu immediately and launching criminal probes, Ramaphosa announced on July 13, 2025, that the minister would be placed on special leave—a farce that allows him to retain full salary and benefits while potentially continuing to influence events from the shadows. To compound the delay, he established a commission chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, with an ambiguous three-to-six-month timeframe.

This is the ANC’s tired playbook: endless commissions that gather dust, buying time for the mafia syndicate to regroup and silence whistleblowers. As one outraged citizen posted on X: “We are all sick of @CyrilRamaphosa enabling corruption. Because that is what this is.”

The EFF has been unequivocal in our condemnation, as articulated in our media statement on July 12, 2025, regarding the President’s pathetically weak handling of Mchunu. We remind the nation that it is not the first time the EFF has warned of the ANC’s deep involvement in criminal syndicates embedded within the state. These revelations confirm what we have long argued: the ANC is no longer a governing party; it is a mafia organisation where political office is weaponised to shield gangsters, redirect tenders, and silence accountability.

This statement cuts to the core—the ANC has weaponised state power to protect its criminal network, turning ministries into fortresses for graft. We in the EFF have consistently exposed how the party redirects public tenders to connected insiders, silences dissent through intimidation, and shields its members from justice. Mchunu’s case is a prime example: allegations of interfering in probes into construction mafias that extort billions from infrastructure projects, all while political killings in KZN go unsolved because of high-level protection. Our warning is rooted in years of fighting against state capture and cadre deployment, which places loyalists in positions to loot rather than serve. The EFF’s statement underscores that this is systemic, endangering every South African.

Ramaphosa’s role reveals his true nature. Built on hollow promises of anti-corruption renewal, his presidency is defined by inaction and favouritism. The lingering Phala Phala scandal, involving millions in undeclared foreign currency on his farm, raises serious questions of money laundering and evasion, yet he faces no real consequences. In the police crisis, he chooses probes over prosecutions, fuelling public fury as voiced on social media: “The ANC is the architect and implementer of all this corruption. It thrives on it.” This protectionism extends to other scandals, like allegations against ministers in human settlements and higher education, where fraud and corruption fester without reprisal. His “renewal” is a smokescreen, allowing the mafia syndicate to flourish while he consolidates power.

The devastating effects of this disaster permeate every facet of South African life, hitting the poor and working class hardest—the very people the EFF fights for. Economically, our nation is in free-fall, with unemployment climbing to staggering heights in 2025, leaving millions without jobs amid anaemic growth projections crippled by corruption-driven mismanagement. Inequality, already the world’s highest, worsens through cadre deployment, where ANC loyalists secure positions to siphon funds, leading to billions lost in suspicious tenders and contracts.

Families battle skyrocketing food prices, evictions, and a relentless cost-of-living crisis, while investor flight due to scandals like the police inquiry exacerbates load-shedding, decaying infrastructure, and fiscal deficits. Public debt balloons as looted resources force austerity on the masses, denying them basic services and opportunities. The construction mafias protected by this syndicate disrupt projects, costing jobs and development in provinces like KZN, where extortion halts progress and deepens poverty.

Socially, the toll is harrowing. Crime ravages communities, with over 80 murders daily, many tied to syndicates allegedly safeguarded by corrupt officials like those implicated in Mchunu’s scandal. In KZN and beyond, residents live in terror of gang violence and political killings enabled by SAPS interference, turning neighbourhoods into war zones. Service delivery has collapsed: water shortages leave millions thirsty, potholed roads endanger lives, and hospitals crumble under corruption-tainted procurement.

Youth unemployment exceeds 60%, pushing our young fighters toward despair, substance abuse, or forced emigration, draining our nation’s future. Health and education systems reel from scandals, with unqualified cadres worsening outcomes—overcrowded schools fail to educate, and hospitals lack essentials due to looted funds. In deprived areas like the Eastern Cape, this breeds social breakdown, with higher rates of gang involvement and family disintegration. The mafia syndicate’s grip fosters a culture of fear, where whistleblowers like Mkhwanazi risk their lives, deterring others from speaking out and perpetuating the cycle of deprivation.

Politically, the erosion of trust is profound and dangerous. The ANC’s support plummeted to 40% in the 2024 elections, reflecting mass disillusionment, yet they cling to power through coalitions tainted by scandal. Public outrage explodes on platforms like X: “Ramaphosa is wasting money for taxpayers… why ANC members are not being treated the same way when they found doing corruption.”

Analysts predict further decline, potentially below 25% in the 2026 local elections if unaddressed. The EFF’s statement highlights how Mchunu’s special leave is illegal and an abuse of resources, bloating the cabinet while protecting suspects. Voices echo: “ANC will always protect ANC interests. Ramaphosa is the president of the ANC 1st, then the country.” This disillusionment risks unrest, as the masses see institutions captured by the mafia syndicate, undermining democracy and fueling calls for radical change.

This crisis is deeply personal for us in the EFF and the people we represent. Envision a young fighter in Johannesburg, burdened by debt, bypassed for jobs by ANC cronies. Or a mother in Soweto, fearing for her child’s safety amid gangs empowered by corrupt police. These stories proliferate, tearing at our social fabric and threatening widespread revolt. The ANC’s persistence ensures escalation: more sham commissions, more looting, more lives shattered.

Ramaphosa personifies this treachery. His rhetoric masks complicity, deploying inquiries to safeguard comrades while the nation bleeds. Enough is enough! Extending ANC rule accelerates our descent into a failed state. As EFF fighters, we call on the masses to rise through mass action, legal battles, and mobilisation. Join the EFF in demanding land expropriation without compensation, nationalisation of mines, and an end to corruption.

Support independent probes, starved by this regime, rather than government-sponsored commissions with hidden agendas to avoid accountability. Build people’s assemblies to demand accountability. In 2026, vote for the EFF for fundamental and radical change—reject the mafia syndicate, seize our future. South Africa demands economic freedom, not syndicates. The time is now: the ANC mafia syndicate must fall, and we must rise to make it fall!

* Fighter Carl Niehaus is an EFF Member of Parliament (MP).

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.