CAF President Patrice Motsepe during the FIFA World Cup match between Croatia and Morocco at Khalifa International Stadium on 17 December 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Picture: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
With the election season looming over South Africa, billionaire businessman Patrice Motsepe called for integrity within the political and judicial spaces.
He said he has confidence is South Africa’s multi-party structure, however, he would always support “Mandela’s party” – the ANC.
“The family gives money to all political parties. Of course we grew up in Mandela’s party and we will always support Mandela’s party,” said Motsepe.
The billionaire also said, as a person who worked with former president [Nelson Mandela] in the past, he feels obligated to assist other parties.
“I have a duty to multi-party democracy.”
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South Africa is brimming with opportunities and potential waiting to be realised. While he acknowledged this untapped potential, Motsepe said the corruption in SA is drowning the country.
“The more I travel the world, the more I am confident in the future of Africa, and in this context the future of South Africa. Are there problems? Are there challenges? Absolutely.
“In some cases there are serious problems and serious challenges and I think one of the biggest problems in South Africa and in other parts of the world is corruption,” he said.
He called for people in high positions to be held accountable under the law, no matter their status.
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Motsepe said high profile people who commit crimes should be taken to court. He called for a prosecutorial and judicial system that has integrity.
“When you take action against some of the big names – then you send a message that nobody is above the law,” he added.
The billionaire said all political parties should be held to account, including the ruling party. He also said South Africans should have the opportunity to decide who they want to lead them.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) president added that having President Cyril Ramaphosa as his brother in-law is an “unimportant and irrelevant issue”.
When asked if he would consider running for the presidential seat, Motsepe said he thought there were better candidates than him.
“I think that there are people who would do a much better job than I ever can and I encourage them to do that,” he said.
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Motsepe reiterated that he was more interested in uplifting and creating opportunities for poor communities.
He said people of his calibre had the ability to fight crime and corruption by investing in the marginalised.
“People like me have the duty to postulate, to put forward and to propose what is politically unpopular, what is in the interest of the country, rather than trying to run for votes and get people to elect you,” Motsepe added.
He said the future of South Africans lied in empowering the underdeveloped groups with relevant skills.
“We have to create jobs for them, but jobs in industries that are growing, because sometimes we create jobs in industries that have no future.”
WATCH: Patrice Motsepe calls for integrity and accountability among SA leaders
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