Nkosikhulule Nyembezi
Cape Town - Rampant corruption can no longer go unchallenged.
Because of corruption and state capture, our country faces political and socio-economic threats as great as any I have seen in my lifetime.
Our liberation movements and political parties representing us in legislative bodies are in peril of being branded as a generation that is divided, self-indulgent and indifferent to the nation’s needs.
On Saturday, the president submitted a 76-page document to Parliament outlining the Cabinet’s response to the recommendations of the Zondo Commission on state capture.
It comes six years to the month since then public protector Thuli Madonsela released her State of Capture report, which led to the establishment of the Zondo Commission.
“Through the implementation of the actions contained in this report, we can start a new chapter and a new leaf in our struggle against corruption. No matter the challenges, we’ll walk this path together,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Please, fellow compatriots, when you contribute to implementing the recommendations, put the country first.
Every single one of us in active citizenry spaces want to make South Africa more prosperous and secure, to make life better for our fellow citizens.
Yet, over the past years, we have appeared incompetent, tin-eared and obsessed with our individual political party’s prospects at the very time millions of households are worried sick about how to overcome poverty, unemployment and inequality.
Every time political parties in legislative bodies talk publicly about how this or that step will help us to stave off corruption, they add to the resentment and rage growing among the public that politicians are no longer thinking first about the national interest in our fight to combat corruption.
Consider the prevailing political environment that is supposed to be fertile ground for the Ramaphosa administration to implement anti-corruption measures in the commission’s recommendations speedily.
Yet, Ramaphosa’s address on Sunday followed a torrid weekend in which graft-plagued Eskom implemented a new wave of load shedding. He endured fresh attacks from his predecessors, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Why didn’t the former presidents speak directly to Ramaphosa and offer constructive suggestions?
Focusing on what is right for the country in implementing the commission’s recommendations is morally the right approach – and the best way to stem and reverse the collapse in electoral support for the liberation movement leaders. They carry the historical mandate of restoring moral regeneration in society, including the Batho Pele principles in government.
So, I urge you to do what you can to ensure a speedy, successful implementation of the commission’s recommendations and more. Let’s join hands to ensure our utterances and actions are the right move for our country.
Ramaphosa outlined his detailed response to the findings and almost 400 recommendations the inquiry chairperson filed four months ago, saying the Investigative Directorate, the special unit in the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), will be made permanent to focus on investigating and prosecuting corruption cases.
The directorate has to date enrolled 26 cases, with 89 investigations under way, and 165 suspects have appeared in court However committed our president and government institutions may be to combating corruption, the measures will only work if the public has sufficient trust in their ability to produce tangible results and go after the leading players in the corruption web.
Since the release of the first volume of the Zondo commission reports I have lost count of the number of people, many lifelong anti-corruption activists, who have stopped me in the street, seminar rooms, gym and supermarket, to express despair at the state of the country and disbelief, mingled with contempt, at what has happened to our democracy under successive ANC administrations.
This week onwards, we have a chance to stop the rot in targeted actions. For the sake of our country, please do your bit.
Nyembezi is a policy analyst and human rights activist
Cape Times