While making a killing, cadre families are killing SA

ANC cadres do not understand conflict of interest.

If you or any family member work in any sphere of government you may not do business with any sphere of government. Comrades pervert this. Amid an outcry about the Masukus, Dikos, Magashules, Mokonyanes etc, the dominant ANC view is that family connections shouldn’t prevent anyone from doing business with government.

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This week, the ANC national executive committee heard it is unfair to ask politicians’ family members not to do business with the state. Former president Jacob Zuma used this “victim” argument when defending his son Duduzane. In 2017, Zuma senior told parliament: “You can’t single out one young person and victimise the person just because he’s the son of the president. It’s not fair‚ it’s not correct.

“He’s involved in business in his own accord.” Yeah, right.

The ANC defended Zuma at the time. Recent disclosures confirm he is not an aberration. He is the epitome of a cadre feeding off taxpayers’ money while people suffer and die.

As argued by Business Day yesterday, the ANC has institutionalised corruption by adding black economic empowerment to the criteria required to do business: “Black empowerment policies mean tender fraud and jobs for pals at all levels of the system.”

That’s why President Cyril Ramaphosa’s new dawn hasn’t happened.

His credibility is at rock-bottom amid allegations about connected families getting rich through inflated tenders. The spectre of fat cats profiteering off Covid-19 has pushed public opinion to a tipping point.

Ramaphosa has made an important admission: “We are faced with the real problem of  families and friends of political office bearers or public servants receiving contracts from the state,” he wrote in his weekly newsletter.

This conduct “does contribute to a perception and a culture of nepotism, favouritism and abuse. And it undermines public confidence in the integrity of our institutions and processes”.

Indeed public confidence has vanished. “We are determined to finally deal with the entrenched patronage networks that enable government employees to bid for state contracts through their friends and relatives.”

This perfect message rings hollow when not one big fish has been arrested, charged, prosecuted or jailed, despite billions being stolen.

There was a momentary flutter when a former minister’s wife was arrested. Turns out to be another sordid domestic episode for a faithless wanker who was once a Gupta enabler.

That’s a side show. We need to see arrests for corruption, tender-rigging or price gouging which put lives at risk.

Back-to-the-wall Ramaphosa knows what is required: “Not only better laws and stronger enforcement, but also political will and social mobilisation.” There are enough laws, rules and regulations about procurement, supply chain management, declarations of interest and so on.

Now is the time for action.

Start here. Implicated members of provincial executive committees, and members of mayoral committees, are political appointees. They serve at the pleasure of premiers and mayors.

If they are not dismissed, we will know the ANC is not serious about fighting corruption.

While making a killing, cadre families are killing SA.

Martin Williams, DA councillor and former editor of The Citizen.

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