JUN KAJEE: How SA’s democracy cannibalises itself from within

In a country where the killing of investigators and whistle-blowers is becoming an alarming trend, deputy finance minister David Masondo’s warning rings with chilling clarity.

This is the hallmark of a government not merely struggling with corruption but devolving into a mafia state, where power is bought, laws are bent to serve the few, and fear replaces justice. Such killings are not isolated crimes; they are signals of an unravelling order in which accountability becomes deadly and impunity reigns supreme. 

The spectacle unfolding in SA today has eerie parallels with a mystical tale from ancient Greece: the corruption of the Oracle at Delphi by the Alcmaeonid family. To understand the depth of this comparison one must recall that the Oracle was no ordinary shrine. It was the spiritual and political heartbeat of the Greek world. Kings, generals and elites journeyed across mountains to consult the Pythia, the high priestess of Apollo, whose cryptic pronouncements shaped wars, alliances and destinies.

The Oracle embodied legitimacy itself, and decisions blessed there carried divine weight. Yet even that sacred authority proved vulnerable to the corrosive effects of money and greed. 

The Alcmaeonids

The Alcmaeonids, a wealthy and influential Athenian family, were no strangers to power struggles. When a devastating earthquake reduced Apollo’s temple at Delphi to rubble, they saw both opportunity and leverage. Offering to rebuild the sanctuary, they promised lavish gifts, including white marble from Paros, an extravagance that dazzled contemporaries.

But this generosity masked an unholy bargain. Behind the marble and piety lay the persuasion of bribes, subtle but effective. In return for their lavish reconstruction, the family expected — and received — the Oracle’s favour. Soon powerful city-states such as Sparta were convinced, through the Oracle’s manipulated prophecies, to lend their military strength to the Alcmaeonids in their efforts to dominate Athens. 

Herodotus

Herodotus records this tale as more than myth; it is history tinged with legend, designed to expose how corruption can hollow out even institutions believed to be incorruptible. Aristotle would later quip that “even gods can be bribed”, capturing the disquieting truth that once money and power distort sacred spaces, their authority transforms into a weapon of manipulation. The Alcmaeonids’ actions did not merely alter a prophecy; they corrupted the very idea of divine impartiality, and in doing so left Athenian politics fractured and democracy weakened. 

Fast forward two millennia and the lesson is startlingly relevant. Modern states do not seek divine approval from oracles but they do rely on institutions meant to serve the public with impartiality: auditors, courts and regulatory bodies. When these individuals and institutions fall under attack — not metaphorically, but literally through assassinations and intimidation — the very foundation of governance begins to crumble. A state that can no longer protect its truth-tellers spirals into a system where fear silences justice and corruption metastasises unchecked. 

Masondo’s warning

Masondo’s warning is therefore both economic and moral. The assassination of investigators and whistle-blowers doesn’t just remove inconvenient voices; it broadcasts a chilling message to investors, citizens and international partners that the rule of law no longer holds.

Investor confidence dwindles, unemployment soars, and criminal syndicates take root behind the facades of official offices. What emerges is not a legitimate state but a mafia state, sustained by violence, protected by silence and cloaked in the trappings of legality. 

Just as the Alcmaeonids transformed a sacred institution into a political weapon, modern corruption rots within the very systems meant to safeguard the collective. Instead of restraining abuse, laws are interpreted to shield those who have won favour. Enforcement mechanisms exist not to ensure justice but to preserve impunity. This is how democracy cannibalises itself from within. History offers an unmistakable warning: when the protectors of truth are left unguarded, power is captured by fear. 

• Kajee is a lecturer at Southern Utah University, a non-resident research fellow at the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, and a researcher for the SeaLight maritime transparency initiative at Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation.