In the movie, Safe, the head of the Chinese Triad, is Han Jiao, portrayed by James Hong. Mr Han tries to portray himself as kind and compassionate, when in fact he's a calculating, ruthless man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
Mr Han reminds me of our deputy president Mr David Mabuza, who famoulsy came to be in that position because at the last moment he switched sides to Mr Cyril Ramaphosa.
Because of that move we now have a president who inspired us with hope for about five minutes until reality set in again. The actions of Mr Mabuza also set us on the path to recovery from the Jacob Zuma years. In reality South Africa owes a huge debt to Mr Mabuza; had he not performed that spectacular flip flop we'd be singing a different tune today.
This is a man who is a political genius unlike anything we've seen before. Under his leadership Mpumalanga became the province with the second biggest number of voting delegates in 2017, second only to Kwazulu Natal. These numbers speak to the very heart of the ambition of David Mabuza. He managed to be elected to the position of deputy president of the ANC due to the sheer number of delegates from his province. Just think for a moment the scale of political manoeuvring that was carried out by Mr Mabuza to reach this position.
Here is a man who yielded power in the past; when Jacob Zuma was the president Mr Mabuza was part of the so called Premier League. When he realised that sentiments are changing and Jacob Zuma might be on his way out he started marching to the beat of a different drum. Now he yields even more power as the deputy president of South Africa but on the opposing side of what he previously stood for.
It takes someone with a razor-sharp political instinct to achieve what he did. Not only did he manage to read the political situation correctly but he managed to ascend to the second highest position in the land. This from little province Mpumalanga with little or no political backing from outside his own province.But that's exactly what fills the mind with unease and trepidation. David Mabuza is now the second most powerful man in South Africa, or that is what his position implies.
This is the man, who according to ANC structure will be the next president of the Republic of South Africa. And quite honestly that is a very frightening thought.
He portrays himself as the dependable, reasonable, reserved statesman, making all the right noises and doing all the right things. It's very difficult to find fault with his performance right now.But he comes with serious allegations leveled against him from when he was Premier of Mpumalanga, ranging from tender fraud to corruption, to political killings. None of these allegations have made it to a court of law, none of these allegations have been tested in a court of law, yet they persist.
He has proven by switching allegiance at the last minute that he is only there for his own self interest and political gain and that he is highly ambitious. We are still reeling from the last time the ANC chose a president with the same tendencies. Mr Mabuza comes from the club of Jacob Zuma, and these allegations are hanging like a cloud over him.
This is a man who should not be ignored or taken lightly. He should be watched very closely. We should also pay attention to the news that he went to Russia to receive medical treatment while we have excellent medical facilities right here. Like a snake he's lying in wait, preparing for the right moment to strike. In what direction, only time will tell.
