Political interference destabilised the country’s elite anti- corruption unit as the unit continuously lost experienced members who refused to “play ball”. The highly effective Scorpions were replaced by the Hawks, who have a dismal track record in arrests and convictions.
The resignation of former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene has been accepted by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Former Reserve Bank governer Tito Mboweni was sworn in on 9 October as South Africa’s third finance minister in eight months. Nene had admitted, after first denying it, that he had met with the Gupta brothers several times – the Guptas are deeply implicated in the on-going state capture saga and their dealings are under scrutiny at the Zondo Commission for state capture.
Finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, giving testimony this week before the Zondo Commission, said that when former president Jacob Zuma told him in 2015 he was to be moved to a senior position at the new BRICS development bank, he knew immediately the deployment was a fabrication.
A recent BBC investigation uncovered signs that KZN judicial officers are involved in helping rhino poachers get away with murder. “If elements of South Africa’s justice system prove to be corrupt it not only threatens rhinos and allows poachers to act with impunity, but it compromises the police and the justice system in other cases as well,” wrote Alastair Leithead in his exposé.
Parliament is currently considering amendments to the Auditing Profession Act that will, among others, allow the minister of finance to determine, at his discretion, the maximum fine to be imposed on a firm or individual found guilty of malpractice – the current maximum fine is R200 000. It will also give the IRBA, South Africa’s auditing watchdog, powers to subpoena information needed to complete investigations, and to refer matters to other accredited professional bodies for investigation.
As an individual, there’s a lot you can do to stop corruption from spreading. It’s as simple as knowing what corruption looks like and how it works, so that you can stop it when you encounter it. It’s as simple as taking responsibility for your traffic transgression, and accepting the fine rather than paying the bribe. It’s as simple as reporting any instance of corruption that you’ve come across in your day to day life. Read our article for corruption-busting motivation.
By the end of week six of the Zondo Commission, sitting in Johannesburg to investigate allegations of state capture, major banks had given their version of events relating to the closure of the Gupta family’s account, former president Jacob Zuma had been asked for his side of the story, and had drives containing the #GuptaLeaks were admitted into evidence.
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