Publication: Cape Argus Issued: Date: 2007-03-08 Reporter: Thokozani Mtshali

Government Failure to Act Helps to Entrench Corruption, says de Lille

 

Publication 

Cape Argus
Date

2007-03-08

Reporter

 Thokozani Mtshali

Web Link

www.capeargus.co.za

 

ID leader Patricia de Lille says she believes corruption is becoming endemic mainly due to the government's unwillingness to tackle it.

De Lille told the Foreign Correspondents Association in Johannesburg that the political wrangle within the ANC had also allowed corruption in government to go "unabated".

"It is difficult to gauge it, but it is clear that there is currently a prevailing mindset of impunity within the ruling party and government's failure to provide leadership is allowing things to get worse."

De Lille added that there was corruption during the apartheid era, with public monies siphoned into foreign and local banks by politicians as private investments.

"But the acts of corruption are now more visible, as people like to show off, buy posh cars and wear Gucci suits," she said.

Even some in the ANC were worried about the levels of corruption, which was probably why there was now an ANC commission headed by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel looking at how it could deal with "this culture of entitlement".

"They also know it is getting out of hand and we are waiting for a report from the ANC and government on how they plan to deal with this. Hopefully, some in the ANC believe that their policy conference and the national conference in December will look into this."

De Lille said it was important for the government to lead by example, starting with the protection of whistle-blowers, to create an understanding in society that "corruption is crime and it does not pay".

"There's a lot of white collar crime and, in most cases, it seems that individuals and the private sector have also bought into the idea that it must put something under the table in order to get a government tender.

"The government needs to give leadership here and encourage a lot of people to speak out against corruption."

Although she believed the ANC benefited from the arms deal, she still believed Mbeki did not personally gain *1.

Asked why Mbeki appeared reluctant when urged to deal with alleged corruption in the arms deal, she believed this was part of a broader attempt by Mbeki "to protect his comrades".

With acknowledgements to Thokozani Mtshali and Cape Argus.


*1       A prudent political position to take.


*2      But why, oh why would it be necessary to protect one's comrades?

Mbeki is already in his last term as President. He is on the local and international public record as being anti-corruption. It is then logical not to protect anyone if they are involved in corruption.

So the only logical conclusion is that if Mbeki is protecting anyone involved in corruption, then he is involved in corruption himself.

So the question is simple :
Is Mbeki protecting anyone involved in corruption?

The answer is also simple.

One fact is that Mbeki made a statement a few weeks ago in Davos, Switzerland that, whatever the German and British investigators found regarding corruption involving the corvette and Hawk acquisitions, the JIT's key findings would stand - regardless.

Seeing that the German allegations point directly at the Government's Chief of Acquisitions, while the British allegations point directly at the Minister of Defence and his government-appointed Special Advisor, then Mbeki is protecting at these South African individuals and their foreign counterparts.

A second fact is that it was Mbeki himself who insisted that the JIT change its Investigation Report to include the key finding that no-one in government could be held responsible for any irregularities in the SDP acquisition process. Such a key finding actually ran contrary to all of the intermediary findings of both the investigation itself and the final draft report.

A third fact is that both Mbeki and his ambassador to France secretly met with a French company now officially found by both the High Court and Supreme Court to have been involved with bribery and corruption involving the corvette combat suite acquisition. Not only is it on the written court record that Mbeki gave his assurance to this self-same company that they would be awarded the contract for the combat suite and its sensors (which duly happened, plus the anti-ship missile), but the record shows that the self-same ambassador was involved in some very shady deal with the French company. Indeed, after this ambassador returned from duty in France, she met with the corrupt French company's corrupt senior executive in his offices in Pretoria more than a dozen times during the next year.

But Mbeki cannot remember meeting the three most senior executives of this corrupt French company at their offices in Paris on 17 December 1998, nor the associated dealings with this ambassador and the only conclusion is that Mbeki is protecting this company, his ambassador - and himself.

So Mbeki is protecting parties alleged of corruption.

So Mbeki is indicated in corruption.

QED.

This is Aristotlian logic at its simplist.