Written by: Errol Naidoo
Article source: familypolicyinstitute.com
Arlene and I are grateful to be back home and reunited with our family in South Africa. We arrived in Cape Town on 3 August and hit the ground running. There is so much happening we need at least a week to catch up. Critically, however, the battle for faith, family and freedom intensifies.
What is immediately apparent following our 15-week assignment in the US, is the dismal lack of governance in South Africa. Politically enabled corruption has ravaged the country and torpedoed the promise of a prosperous and democratic South Africa for millions of citizens.
A recent article by Rona Bekker, Policy Manager of the National Employers Association of South Africa (NEASA) outlines the appalling waste of tax-payers money by the ANC regime.
Bekkers writes, “Numerous articles have recently been published by various media houses on the alleged R67 million spent on the salaries of employees at the Orsmond Tuberculosis Hospital in Kariega, a facility which has been closed to patients for almost two years.”
“NEASA is appalled at this flagrant abuse of the hard-earned and begrudgingly paid over (due to fear of prosecution and blatant wastefulness of government) tax money of the South African tax base. What is the most worrisome and unacceptable of this instance, is that it is but one drop in the ocean of corruption, maladministration, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, fraud and plain thievery of the South African government…”
“In the Auditor General’s (AG) 2022 report on material irregularities (MIs) identified across all spheres of government (national, provincial and local), the following facts were highlighted:”
“By 15 April 2022, the AG was dealing with 327 material irregularities, at various stages in the process. They estimate the total financial loss of these material irregularities to be R14,7 billion:
– Local Government had 185 MIs – estimated financial loss of R3.9 billion;
– Provincial Government had 82 MIs – estimated financial loss of R2.1 billion; and
– National Government had 60 MIs – estimated financial loss of R8.6 billion.”
“During a meeting of the Standing Committee on the Auditor General on these MIs, on 10 March 2023, the AG confirmed that there was not sufficient action taken by the other parties responsible for investigation, resolution and execution of any orders with regards to these MIs. These bodies include, but are not limited to the Hawks, all investigative authorities, the Director General and the political heads of each of the involved state departments.”
“Even if these billions are retrieved somehow, and the officials responsible removed from office and appropriately punished, it would but scrape the tip of South Africa’s corruption iceberg. Catching the ‘small-fries’ of corruption will not steer South Africa’s economic vessel away from the large scale, politically-enabled corruption which is threatening to sink our country.”
“South Africa’s most deeply entrenched and frequent corruption is not limited to irregular and fruitless expenditure by governmental departments, but by the immense self-enrichment by the high ranking (ANC) officials within these entities.”
Bekker continues, “One need only look at the lifestyles of our government leaders, politicians and state officials to know that our money is being funnelled directly into their own pockets. How can their salaries possibly account for their multi-storey houses, luxury vehicles, designer clothing, watches, jewelry, holidays, additional homes, private school fees for their children and lavish dine-outs at South Africa’s most expensive restaurants?”
“What we need, what we should demand as taxpayers, is the swift and robust implementation of lifestyle audits of political- and government officials; they all need to be subjected to this anti-corruption mechanism.”
“In his 2018 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ramaphosa called for lifestyle audits of public-sector employees. Although the Department of Public Service and Administration (DoPSA) has been working on a framework for applying lifestyle audits, the practical implementation thereof has not yet manifested.”
“However, Government constantly produces excuses for the non-implementation of this anti-corruption mechanism, the most recent being the Covid-19 pandemic, during which corruption in the public sector soared to new heights.”
While I fully agree with Ms Bekker’s demand for lifestyle audits, I am not convinced it will stop the rot. What South Africa desperately needs is real change – a complete overhaul of government. Several initiatives are in progress across the country to facilitate this. More about this next week.
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Date published: 08/08/2023
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only.
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