BANKS are political entities! There is an unspoken yet seemingly invincible alliance between banks and politics that rarely comes to light. This alliance, often invisible yet profound, wields an extraordinary influence over society, impacting everything from economic prosperity to policy direction and, alarmingly, the erosion of individual and press freedoms.
The troubling experiences of Neil Farage, the former UK political leader, and Julius Malema, the EFF leader, offer striking illustrations of this unsettling reality. Accused of harbouring contentious political views, both Farage and Malema found their bank accounts closed. More shockingly, in Malema’s case, the banks targeted his innocent 17-year-old son, refusing him the right to open a bank account.
Similarly, Independent Media, one of South Africa’s big four media houses, recently received notice from Standard Bank about the impending…
