Many of you will never understand how much of a Grootman Broke My Heart story this Brian Molefe saga has been.

Brian Molefe was the blue-eyed boy of the ANC. First, as the technocrat star of the pre-2007 administration and Zuma administration. He could do no wrong.

He was also the first real grootman of the corporate future leaders cohort of black (male) talent, particularly in the finance space. And boy did they twirl.

Phela Brian was proof that you could be black, lead huge organisations effectively, and push for transformation. Plus Brian was HIGHLY respected by private sector. The dream! He was the poster child for the possibilities, the corporate operator with a policy mindset!

So I started hearing about Brian’s Gupta stories when I moved into Gov. It was like this open secret that everyone had forgotten to mention to the private sector stans. But when I started dating a banker I realized that they were told, they weren’t listening.

And then that damn Songezo Zibi decided to be a journalist! Fights at home because ‘that friend of yours Zibi’ is writing stories about all of the corruption. So many of my CA/finance friends disliked my friend bandla, as though Brian was a CA.

There was this one time Brian decided to call into Redi’s show while she was interviewing Songezo. It was about the nuclear deal. Things didn’t go well. This was obvious to everyone bar the finance stans. So, relationship tensions, thanks again Zibi!

So you guys must understand ukuthi when it finally became clear as day. When the stories of bags of money became too obvious to ignore, when dude was getting multimillion pension payouts for a few months of work, corporate hearts in black bodies were broken. Broken!

So guys, if you have a friend who is possibly +35 years old, black, on that corporate CEO track, hug them. There are very high chances they are still not over the heartbreak. It was a dark time for the talent. It was bleak.

Lol! I’m remembering the days when I’d say that Brian is corrupt corrupt, and I’d be told that I’m serving the interests of the business day readers who don’t want to see capable black people succeed without their help- like Brian. Glad everyone saw the bright light.