Ramaphosa's Solution to Corruption

 

If Ramaphosa had a real desire to wipe out corruption, he would have introduced a body at government level to do the work. The Integrity Commission of the ANC, like all the other Commissions used by the ANC over the years, has no teeth, and no intention to produce anything more than a bland recommendation that ‘all is fine. No worries.’ If you doubt that, look at the record of the Seriti Commission, which set the benchmark for Commissions and Committees. What South Africa really needs is a body that a priori assess the honesty, integrity and suitability for the position to be held by the candidate before he or she is given the awesome power held by MPs, Ministers, the President, Directors General of Departments and their deputies, and other such positions. The Financial Services industry is required by law to assess these qualities in their candidates for high office. Why should a person who holds an office managing billions of Rands of public money be of a lower standard? If Parliament sees this form of check as essential for the Director of an investment brokerage, why are they not pressing for the same rules to apply? Why is Ramaphosa holding back on this, instead presenting as his ‘solution’ to the corruption pandemic that has swept the land since 1994 the ‘requiring’ of a toothless lapdog with no responsibility to the citizens or to Parliament to undertake the ‘vetting’ (without publication of the results) of the huge number of Party members who routinely indulge in ripping off the public purse?

It is no secret that the ANC itself, as well as its cadres, have been deeply involved in corrupt activities since the earliest days. Corruption is its very lifeblood, funding election campaigns and Party activities of every sort. To walk away from that sort of cash, and revert to a system in which the rights and needs of the citizens are the first priority of the government, as Mandela professed to believe, would require a fundamental reassessment of priorities and a realignment of the Party. Ramaphosa, a man noted for inaction, except at the urgent behest of co-directors such as those requesting him to seek stronger Police action at Marikana, is not the leader’ we need to correct the disastrous course the Ship of State is on. His passive acceptance of the dictates of Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Beki Cele during the Covid-19 fiasco that has brought us so much closer to the rocks of disaster, while also putting huge sums in the pockets of the criminals amongst us, is a clear indication that he is ‘holding down a position’ while allowing (unelected) others to dictate policies, without even the rubber-stamping previously obtained from Parliament. Until we see at least five Cabinet Ministers in orange overalls, no intelligent investor will even put South Africa on his list of places to develop industry. That won’t happen, so expect more of the same.