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New dawn, old guard

After Cyril Ramaphosa’s victory at Nasrec, his promised ‘new dawn’
broke unexpectedly early, or so it seemed.
The new ANC leader had not even formally taken over the country’s
reins from Jacob Zuma when, in late January 2018 , the Hawks raided
the Bloemfontein offices of outgoing premier Ace Magashule. They
were searching for possible evidence related to the Gupta-linked dairy
venture in Vrede. They also hit the offices of the Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development that same morning. ‘We are
looking for documents and any electronic information pertaining to our
investigation,’ Hawks spokesperson Hangwani Mulaudzi told reporters.
‘We are going to be here the whole day.’^1
Many South Africans welcomed this dramatic turn of events. The
Hawks, other law-enforcement bodies and the country’s prosecutions
authority were all widely criticised for their apparent lethargy and
inaction during Zuma’s time in power, especially regarding politically
sensitive cases. The raid on the offices of the ANC’s newly elected
secretary-general suggested that the police and the National
Prosecuting Authority were finally being released from the clutches of
Zuma and his allies. The raids in Bloemfontein were followed by one at
the powerful Gupta family’s estate in Johannesburg, sparking further
optimism about the new regime’s willingness to pursue corrupt
politicians and their state-capture partners.
But there is a disconcerting backstory to the Hawks’ operations in
early 2018.