“It is sad to see how, in many countries, national heroes have let their country slide down the drain to filth and squalor, corruption and degradation, where the kickback and the rake-off have become a way of life, and the whole country sinks in debasement and despair,” lamented Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
Is South Africa becoming the country Yew described? The evidence suggests we are moving in that direction.
President Cyril Ramaphosa faced parliament this week, offering the same feeble defence of his government’s failure to curb corruption. His response? Yet another commission of inquiry, this time to investigate criminal syndicates embedded in the judiciary, police and prosecution. Police minister Senzo Mchunu, who has been place on leave of absence — on full pay — is implicated in wrongdoing by KwaZulu-Natal’s top cop, Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
South Africans have seen this “movie” before. The long-running Zondo commission, which cost R1bn, exposed how billions of rands were siphoned through state capture. At least 51 individuals and 27 entities were identified by the commission as possibly having committed crimes. However, there has been little to show in prosecutions.
In this regard, the public protector appears thoroughly compromised. The Hawks and National Prosecuting Authority seem to drag their feet, unless their target is a political rival.
Meanwhile, the US state department warns its citizens that South Africa is a high-risk destination, where violent crime, kidnappings and corruption are so rampant even law enforcement cannot be trusted. The justice system isn’t the pillar of democracy it was and now faces accusations that its officials are fraternising with criminal enterprises.
The consequences are devastating. Investors are likely to flee rather than pour capital into a country where contracts have been awarded based on connections, not competence.
Alarm bells are ringing everywhere — crime is at unimaginable levels.
Many thought state capture had died with the Guptas. They were wrong. What we face now is more insidious: the weaponisation of the justice system itself.
Lifestyle audits and public asset declarations are not optional; they are the last line of defence before total state failure
If Ramaphosa is serious about fighting corruption — and history suggests he is not — he must abandon the farce of endless commissions and take real action.
The first step? Radical transparency. Every police officer, prosecutor, and judge must undergo mandatory lifestyle audits. Unexplained wealth should be seized. Secret offshore accounts must mean jail time. Links to criminal networks should result in immediate disbarment.
Ministers, MPs, premiers, mayors, CEOs of state-owned enterprises, and directors-general must publicly declare their assets. There must be harsh penalties for those who can’t explain how a government salary funds multiple properties and luxury cars.
This process must be overseen by the auditor-general, with an annual report to parliament detailing action steps.
Next, an independent anti-corruption body — insulated from political interference and funded by recovered stolen assets — must be established with the power to investigate, arrest and prosecute.
Whistleblowers, like the assassinated Babita Deokaran and Charl Kinnear, must be protected, not hunted down.
Even in the US, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas faced scrutiny after accepting undisclosed luxury vacations and private jet flights from a billionaire associate. If one of America’s most powerful judges can be held accountable, why are South Africa’s judges, prosecutors, police and ministers untouchable?
In Louisiana, three police chiefs — Chad Doyle, Glynn Dixon, and Tebo Onishea — were charged in a visa fraud scheme for taking bribes to falsify crime reports. Allentown mayor Ed Pawlowski was convicted on 47 corruption counts for rigging contracts to fund his political campaigns. Texas judge Rudy Delgado was found guilty of bribery and obstruction for trading favourable rulings for cash and gifts.
The law took its course in the US.
China, a country the ANC admires for its “discipline”, executes corrupt officials. We need not go that far, but the lesson is clear: corruption cannot be defeated without severe consequences.
If the ANC and its partners in the government of national unity truly want to clean house, they must start by jailing those who steal from the people. Without a functioning justice system, South Africa’s economy will collapse.
Lifestyle audits and public asset declarations are not optional; they are the last line of defence before total state failure.
Let us be guided by the words of US ethics lawyer Virginia Canter, former chief ethics counsel for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: “When a justice’s lifestyle is being subsidised by the rich and famous, it absolutely corrodes public trust.”
• Lourie is the founder and editor of TechFinancials
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