‘Clean governance’: No looting with new ministers…

The ANC must certainly be regretting the fact that it decided to form a government of national unity (GNU) with the likes of the DA… because the party that punts clean governance as its mantra has already been sticking its nose into the dingy places the ruling party might have hoped would stay hidden.

First up was Public Works Minister Dean McPherson, who disclosed that the department had lost more than R300 million to cybercriminals hacking into its systems, apparently with the collusion of department employees.

McPherson expressed amazement that the malfeasance hadn’t been picked up long ago.

ALSO READ: Public Works Department lost R2.5 million monthly to hackers over 10 years

Steenhuisen uncovers R500m ‘looting’ scandal

Now, the DA leader, John Steenhuisen, says he has uncovered similar skullduggery inside the Department of Agriculture, in which R500 million earmarked for an animal vaccine production facility has seemingly vanished.

In this case, apart from the taxpayer being the main victim, the heist was far from victimless.

Failure to build the vaccine plant led directly to a shortage of critical animal vaccines, including that for African horse sickness.

Forensic investigations

Both McPherson and Steenhuisen have set in motion forensic investigations to get to the bottom of the thefts and both look committed to bringing those involved to book… and for real this time.

The scale of the thefts is astounding, not in the least because it involves just two government departments.

ALSO READ: Pay back the money: ANC and EFF willing to pay back VBS loot

‘ANC stealing the country blind for years’

But even more worrying is the fact that the ANC apparatchiks running these departments were either ignorant, or part of the cover-up.

Assuming that this behaviour is widespread in the government – and there is no reason not to, given the almost daily reports of looting across the board – it is clear that the ANC has been stealing the country blind for years.

The money stolen could have genuinely brought the ANC’s promised better life to many South Africans. At least now, someone is watching…

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