On Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation on the recommendations of the state capture report, which he finally handed over to Parliament on Saturday.
In his address, Ramaphosa said the country was slowly winning the war against corruption after recent attachments and seizures of assets belonging to individuals and organisations fingered in corrupt activities. Ramaphosa also said billions of rand had since been recovered by the Hawks, SIU and other law-enforcement agencies who had intensified their efforts to rid the country of corruption.
Cosatu has reacted to Ramaphosa’s address, saying it notes the president’s announcement of various measures to intensify the fight against corruption.
Cosatu, through its spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla, said corruption had stolen money meant for service delivery and in turn weakened the state’s ability to fulfil its role.
“Corruption is a cancer that is eating at the heart of the state, weakening its ability to fulfil its constitutional mandates and sinking the country deeper into the abyss,” Pamla said.
He said billions of rand had been syphoned from strategic SOEs such as Eskom, Transnet and Metro Rail, among many other entities.
“These strategic entities have been crippled to a point where they are unable to deliver on their respective mandates. Some of the country’s municipalities have been hollowed out, and they are unable to deliver services or pay workers their salaries,” he said.
Pamla said the federation acknowledged the work being done to restore the South African Revenue Service, adding that more than R50 billion had since been recovered by Sars in this regard.
“Their efforts have already generated an additional R60bn in tax revenues. We are seeing promising signs of progress with a gradual increase in the number of high-profile people who are being charged and whose assets are being attached, including some convictions. The recent attachment of Markus Jooste’s assets is a positive step in this regard,” Pamla.
Cosatu said the recent establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Council was a welcome move to end corruption, adding that this unit needed to be allowed to force the government to implement its recommendations for it to have any real impact against the scourge of corruption.
Furthermore, Pamla said Cosatu looked forward to hearing from the various ministers and departments on how they intended to implement the commitments made by the president.
Some of the key actions the federation wants to see include: reversing the decline in the SAPS headcount from over 200 000 a decade ago to 172 000 today; allocation of additional resources and personnel to SARS to enable it to tackle tax evasion and customs fraud and to undertake lifestyle audits of politicians, senior state managers and high-wealth individuals; filling critical vacancies in the National Prosecuting Authority and holding it accountable for the endless delays in prosecutions.
Cosatu has also recommended the establishment of dedicated anti-corruption courts and addressing the endless delays in trials.
“The government needs to show the necessary political courage and moral fortitude if South Africa is to win this war against corruption. Corruption should be treated like a pandemic, and we need all hands on deck if we are to win this fight.
“Politically, we commend the ANC for its commitment in implementing its Step-Aside Resolution for those charged with criminal offences. This must be implemented without fear or favour at all levels of the ANC if the organisation is to be renewed,” he said.
The Star