Time to clean up at the top

Cue the ANC. For the longest time, it seemed as if Ace Magashule could do no wrong. No matter the severity of allegations against him, the party backed him to the hilt. Suspicions of misconduct would be reported, there would be a flurry of reports and batting of eyelashes, but silence would cover the allegations.

Unfortunately, there are too many personalities that outweigh the legitimacy of the movement. This is again a repeat offence by the ANC. We moan about the “nine wasted years” but the man that sat in the seat of power at that time, Jacob Zuma, was a charismatic leader whose singing and dancing had him creeping into the hearts of his followers.

Scandals were the order of the day, whistleblowers blew until they were blue in the face. Where was the leadership, then, as this looting and corruption was swept under the carpet? Today, outside of the corridors of power, disagreements are taken to social media and, in retaliation, the protests are dismissed to protect of the rights of the “struggle heroes”.

Government must take stock of the criminality that lurks within their own power structures. The work of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture seems to be yielding wonderful results, but at what cost? The economy has already been battered through ill-gotten gains. On top of that, we must add the cost to investigate and prosecute.

Justice for those that govern clearly comes at a high cost – to the taxpayer. While our justice department, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, the Hawks, the Special Investigating Unit and the National Prosecuting Authority seem to be faring well in bringing to book those who have brought the ANC into disrepute, the real test should be on their ability to act swiftly against those transgressors within government structures.

Cull the dead thorns to save our SA!

Kekeletso Nakeli-Dhliwayo.

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