Comment and Analysis Reporter : Rick Barrie, Johannesburg

When journalist Ranjeni Munusamy says the Hefer commission's ruling that she must testify is "a blow to me and the industry", she forgets she is a major culprit in the case.

Before the commission was created, this prima donna violated journalistic ethics and standards. She did not throughly check the information her sources leaked to her - the alleged spy code of National Director of Public Prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka turned out to be that of a white woman. In addition, Munusamy went to another paper when the Sunday Times editor rightly refused to run her story.

She should have the decency to remember how disgracefully she acted and how she gave birth to the commission - which is delaying the real investigation into corruption charges against Jacob Zuma and company.

Munusamy didn't deserve the label "journalist" before the commission was set up. Public relations officer for Zuma would suit her better.

With acknowledgements to Rick Barrie and the Mail & Guardian.

Comment and Analysis Reporter : Mark Lowe, MP, Democratic Alliance, Durban

President Thabo Mbeki opens himself to a charge of hypocrisy when he defends Magoo's Bar bomber Robert McBride's apartheid past, but establishes the Hefer commission into allegations about Ngcuka's past - namely that he was an apartheid spy.

In a scathing attack on McBride's detractors, who accuse him of being unfit to head the Ekurhuleni metropolitan police force, as he has been tipped to do, Mbeki says we must heed Nelson Mandela's words and "Let bygones be bygones".

Why, then, go to such extraordinary lengths to establish the Hefer commission? Surely Mbeki should also let bygones be bygones and leave Ngcuka free to oversee the sterling work of the Scorpions, including their crucial investigation of Zuma?

With acknowledgements to Mark Lowe (MP, Democratic Alliance) and the Mail and Guardian. 

Comment and Analysis Reporter : Roland Darroll

Penuell Maduna may be a drama queen (October 17), but this country of ours could do with more of his kind of drama.

Maduna is the only Cabinet minister who has ever made an impression on me in the media about being genuinely outraged about corruption.

He is also the only minister that has ever made an impression on me in the media abut being genuinely outraged about injustice, and the inefficiency of the justice system.

Mouthshooting? Hell - let's have a few more indiscretions in these causes. Some leaders are so busy being "capable and mature" that they observe their society slowly sinking into a morass of sleaze with a genteel gesture of the hand.

Do I have a special brief to defend the honourable minister? Not exactly. He dismissed me from his personal staff in the most ignominious and craven fashion. But certain things are more important than personal vendettas.

With acknowledgements to Roland Darroll and the Mail & Guardian.