A group of various civil society groups picket outside the Gauteng Legislature in Johannesburg, 7 December 2022. Defend our Democracy and other civil society groups protested outside the legislature to show their concern about the health system that is under severe strain due to looting, corruption and state capture . Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
As the world gears up for the International Anti-Corruption Day intended to highlight the link between anti-corruption and peace, various civil organisations yesterday gathered under the theme “United in Action Against Corruption” in a bid to stop corruption from SA’s democracy.
Defend Our Democracy and various other civil society groups held a picket outside the Gauteng Legislature in Johannesburg focusing on corruption in the health sector.
The Southern African Institute for Responsive and Accountable Government (Saiga) said SA was under a threat with corruption and they wanted to raise awareness about the concerns they had which included the violations of whistle-blowers
“But, to also make a call that corruption is a threat to our democracy and we all need to get involved in supporting whistle-blowers,” Saiga chairperson Advocate Tseliso Thipanyane noted.
“And to also raise awareness that there is a need for law reform.”
The organisations handed over a memorandum of demands to the province’s premier Panyaza Lesufi, which included “suspending tenders of any business currently under investigation by the SIU, or any other law enforcement or investigative unit”.
“It takes a certain kind of depravity to steal money meant for medicine, life support systems, for hospital beds, and for more doctors and nurses to ease the strain on those already overworked in public health facilities,” the memorandum noted.
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It also included putting in place measures which demanded more “stringent accountability and transparency,” for all procurement at public hospitals, and extending the investigations at Tembisa Hospital to all other Gauteng health facilities,
“To ascertain if the same method of alleged looting is being employed elsewhere,” the memorandum read.
“Update the public about the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) investigation into alleged corruption at Tembisa Hospital. Where is this investigation and when can we expect its conclusion?”
Although Lesufi was not available to accept the memorandum due to an unannounced visit to Tembisa Hospital alongside Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko a representative accepted the memo on his behalf.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) urged South Africans not to leave the country’s fate to politicians and unite as different entities to build SA, while social movement Right2Know, Active Citizens Movement (ACM), and NGO Mining Affected Communities United in Action also pledging their alliance.
Former SAA group treasurer and whistle-blower Cynthia Stimpel said although it would not take just one picket to stop corruption overnight and holistically, “but what we need to start the journey of eradicating corruption somewhere and holding those in office accountable”.
“What I’m hoping for from my perspective representing the whistle-blower house, more people come out and speak out and report crime and also talk about the corruption,” she added.
“We also want to report the crime in a safe place, and therefore the whistle-blower house was established to help them through the process, and we do not lose any more lives like we did Babita Deokaran.”
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reitumetsem@citizen.co.za
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