Kunene’s fake news and shot credibility

Kunene has flipped and flopped from one allegiance to the next. No wonder it's nearly impossible to take him seriously.

Kenny Kunene speaks to The Citizen at his home in Sandown, 9 October 2014. Picture: Tracy Lee Stark

Fake news is not new. Deception and falsehood are as old as humanity. So too are gullibility and scepticism. Modern media, able to reach millions in seconds, have amplified all this.

“Social media” is a misnomer. Much traffic is rather anti-social. Consider last week’s Kenny Kunene shooting incident. Tweeps didn’t believe Kunene. Twitter was awash with jibes, some hilarious, some defamatory.

Ouch. Why don’t Twitter users believe Kunene? The short answer is that they have had more than enough of him.

Kunene’s craving for publicity, abetted by friends in the media, has not gone unnoticed. Additionally, in February amaBhungane investigative journalists linked him to Gupta fans Mzwanele Manyi and Black First Land First’s Andile Mngxitama. Not good for credibility.

Sometimes described as a socialite or “sushi king”, Thapelo Kenneth Kunene is alternatively an ex-con fraudster. Upon release from prison in 2003, Kunene teamed up with fellow jailbird, bank robber Gayton McKenzie, to amass a fortune by milking BEE.

To understand how Kunene and McKenzie benefited from Gold Fields and Central Rand Gold, a good starting point would be a 2011 Moneyweb article by Lindo Xulu and the late Barry Sergeant, “Gold Fields, an advocate and two convicted criminals”.

The two convicts were allowed to influence who profited from the Gold Fields carve-up. No one should accuse Kunene of being consistent.

His political loyalties over the past four years have flitted from the ANC, to the EFF, to McKenzie’s Patriotic Alliance, and seemingly back to the ANC (Jacob Zuma faction), depending on who you believe.

In June 2013 Kunene wrote to Zuma, criticising not-my-president’s relationship with the Guptas.

“The extent of how much the Gupta family controls you, and by implication this country, has not even begun to be understood.”

Yes, quite. At the time, Kunene said many within the ANC were “terrified” to speak out against Zuma because they feared him.

Those statements are rendered ironic by the latest Sunday Times front page, where McKenzie and Kunene are described as the new Guptas because of their perceived sway over Zuma: “Senior ANC leaders this week said the influence McKenzie and Kunene have over Zuma was being spoken about in hushed tones in the party because the two were feared.”

Previously Kunene said people feared Zuma. Now people say Kunene and his ex-con friend are feared Zuma cronies.

What changed? Although there have been notable apologies to Zuma, I did not notice Kunene’s Damascene moment.

According to the Sunday Times, “Senior government sources said the two (Kunene and McKenzie) were the masterminds behind the e-mails published in last week’s Sunday Independent that purported to show marital infidelity on the part of … Cyril Ramaphosa.”

No proof is offered for this accusation, although Kunene and Mngxitama were present during court proceedings when Ramaphosa tried to gag The Sunday Independent.

Which brings us back to fake news. No doubt news is being manipulated to influence the ANC succession race. But who should we believe, and why? Healthy scepticism is warranted.