21/10/2026
WHY I SPOKE OUT — AND WHY CORRUPTION IS KILLING JOBS IN SOUTH AFRICA
I want to add context to my post a few days ago, because some have misread it.
I shared that we brought a Chinese investor to South Africa for a project that would have created over 10,000 sustainable jobs. An MEC in one province demanded a R5 million bribe to make it happen. I refused. I told him to go and f.... himself.
I never mentioned any political party in that post. I did not say which party that MEC belongs to.
I was then told that certain leaders are accusing me of decampaigning the ANC before the 4th November elections. Let me be unequivocal: I am not decampaigning the ANC. I did not mention the ANC.
I owe a lot to the ANC. The ANC ended apartheid. Without that liberation, a black child like me would never have had the chance to become an entrepreneur and today lead an Asian investment bank. I am forever grateful for that. My loyalty to the liberation of our people is not in question.
My fight is against corruption. Any corrupt politician, from any party, who steals from our people.
Now let me explain why I am so angry, and why every South African should be angry:
1. Corruption is a direct tax on job creation.
That R5 million bribe was not just R5 million. The investor walked away. 10,000 families lost an income. That is 10,000 households who will not buy groceries at local shops, will not pay school fees, will not pay rent. One bribe killed an entire economic ecosystem. Multiply that by hundreds of deals that die quietly every year because someone wants a kickback.
2. It destroys investor confidence — and perception is everything.
Yesterday I invited the same ANC leader they said I am against to join a call with international investors. Listen to what they said:
For Zimbabwe: "We will fund the private sector in mining, not government, because government can't pay back."
For Botswana: "We will put cash in infrastructure, because the Botswana government is solid and stable."
For South Africa: "Your government is corrupt, we will not put a dime in South Africa."
That is how the world now sees us. We used to be the gateway to Africa. Now we are seen as too risky, too corrupt. Capital is like water — it flows to where it is safest. Right now it is flowing to Botswana, Rwanda, Morocco, not in South Africa.
3. It makes everything more expensive for our people.
When a company has to pay a bribe, that cost is added to the price of the road, the power station, the house, the hospital. It is the poor who pay. It is why our infrastructure costs 30-40% more than it should. It is why Eskom, Transnet, and other SOEs are broken — contracts were given to friends, not to the competent.
4. It kills growth and entrenches unemployment.
South Africa has 32%+ official unemployment, over 60% youth unemployment. We cannot grow at 1% while our population grows faster. We need 5-6% growth to create jobs. You cannot get that growth when investors are scared, when you need to bribe to get a license, a permit, a water use license, or an energy approval. Corruption is the reason we have jobless growth.
My post was never about a party. It was about this reality: We cannot liberate our people politically and then enslave them economically with corruption.
If we truly love this country, and if we truly love the ANC that liberated us, then we must be the first to defend it from the corrupt individuals who are using its name to loot and who are making investors believe South Africa is closed for business.
I am not against the ANC. I am for jobs. I am for our people. And I will never be silent when corruption stands between our people and their dignity.
I have been up for 19 hours, I am sleeping now, f... this nonsense.
