Mboweni slams looting ‘rats’ and ‘mice’ that made his job hard

Former finance minister Tito Mboweni used the 7th Archbishop Thabo Makgoba Annual Lecture on Values-Based Leadership to slam public officials who used their positions of power to steal monies meant for the public good.

“The virus taught us that greed among us, and among countries and people, is rife. The rich sought to accumulate and hoard the vaccines for themselves and starve off the poor and developing countries from gaining access to these. Within most countries, the greedy and corrupt saw an opportunity to enrich themselves through various schemes of looting. But there are good men and women in this world who are committed to making this a better world,” said Mboweni.

‘Behind every corrupt politician are 10 to 20 corrupt businessmen.’

Mboweni further slammed business owners who work with politicians to steal from the public purse, saying it has led to a lack of trust by the public.

“I grew up in the AFM in Tzaneen. From an early age, at Sunday school, the 10 commandments were drummed into our heads. ‘Do not steal’ should constantly ring in the head of anyone in the position of leadership. If anyone is a leader in the national, provincial or local government and uses that position to steal, they contribute to the erosion of our society,” he said.