A good week for Imtiaz Fazel
South Africa’s hapless, conniving spooks have a new watchdog checking on their machinations
A good week for Imtiaz Fazel
“It’s the oldest question of all, George. Who can spy on the spies?” It’s what a Whitehall mandarin asks George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and now that we have an answer, we could ask it differently: can Imtiaz Fazel keep an eye on South Africa’s spies? Our lot are not in the John le Carré class and couldn’t spot a violent insurrection if a warehouse were on fire in front of them, so they need some honest supervision. Fazel won wide approval in parliament for the job, so we’ll put our trust in him. For now.
A bad week for Busisiwe Mkhwebane
Busisiwe Mkhwebane is a litigious — and extravagant — Don Quixote, tilting at local windmills on the taxpayer’s tab. During her failures in court she has been accompanied by her Sancho Panza, Dali Mpofu. Last week even her legal squire abruptly deserted her. Was this a tactic, a ruse, or a sulk at not getting his way in parliament, where the defence of his client is sinking? No-one could tell. The most chivalrous act now for our knight errant would be to ride off into the sunset.