Crime pays well in South Africa: The political landscape is infested with nests of criminals

It is said that when a government shamelessly passes laws to protect criminal elements within its ranks, it has passed the verge of moral collapse.

This is a guiding principle our ruling elite have followed to protect themselves and their comrades. They have, over a short time, taught themselves that crime pays, and it pays well.

This is borne out by recent reports that over the past five years, more than R1.5 trillion has been stolen.

This is the money that was to be used to uplift people, create jobs, ensure service delivery, stimulate our economy and maintain and modernise our ageing, dilapidated and collapsed infrastructure.

It should have been used to fix Eskom as any informed bystander can tell we are close to the collapse of our national power grid.

With that will come anarchy, chaos and collapse of everything. Over the same period, and to replace what they stole, the government borrowed R1.8 trillion.

It remains to be seen if this too will be stolen. But, it must be repaid with interest.

Who is going to do that? No doubt taxes will be raised, and the burden will fall on the already tax-exhausted citizens of our country.

After almost three decades of democracy, and amid the government’s claims to be driven to stop the blatant corruption and theft of state funds, matters have only deteriorated.

As usual, the ruling party affords blame to the Coloureds, Indians, Whites and foreigners to deflect guilt.

Intelligent and well-read political leaders who want our country to prosper and survive are sidelined.

Instead, those who thrive on corruption, graft, theft and other criminal acts are selected to govern.

Leaders with integrity are silenced. When they dare voice their concerns, they quietly disappear from the public eye. South Africa’s political landscape is infested with nests of criminals.

We applaud and cheer our homegrown ‘corruptitians’ when they promise us jobs, knowing they are lying.

Why do we have a government when we are told to get involved in ensuring service delivery? Ironically, we vote for them to allow them to steal us into greater poverty and misery.

The recent flooding in KwaZulu-Natal has, apparently, caused damage in excess of R8 billion. A large portion of this will no doubt also be stolen just as the fund to assist farmers was defrauded of R28 million.

Our state officials and ministers have no shame in enriching themselves at the expense of those who are victims of natural disasters and poor economic policies.

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When finally exposed, they attempt to deflect blame and point fingers elsewhere. Every government project, be it developmental or aid-related, is always expressed in billions of rand.

Is this to allow our ruling elite to steal millions without it being too obvious? Our ‘corruptitians’ are proof that crime in South Africa is a job that pays very well, and it carries no consequences.

Our education system is one of the many victims of the corruption and theft that our state has practised.

According to the World Bank, South Africa is now one of the least literate countries in the world.

It is said that a nation has the government it deserves. As we continually vote for them, then we obviously deserve them as we vote without thinking.

By continually voting fraudsters and thieves into government and hoping they will change for the better is surely not smart thinking on our part.

Not only do we welcome those corrupt and thieving politicians and government officials into our political spaces and government departments, but we also applaud them when they do something.

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We have become so numb to them stealing and not doing anything that it seems to have become the new normal.

When exposed, they are frequently rewarded with senior diplomatic postings abroad where they are to represent our country.

Others simply buy their diplomatic postings from a corrupt and leaderless department of international relations and cooperation.

Which other country, if any, sells its ambassadorships and diplomatic posts, or gives its criminals diplomatic immunity and sends them to represent its interests at the international level.

How have we allowed this to happen? Why are we surprised that the international community laughs and shuns us?

And why are we not surprised that every criminal in the world wants to move to here?

But then again, why not? Crime pays well in South Africa.

Mashaba is a political advisor

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