SA deserves counselling from the horror of state capture

The governing ANC must apologise to South Africans for the horror of state capture; becoming a Trojan horse for organised criminals and using state coffers for personal gain.

In fact this nation not only needs counselling but also compensation for the trauma of decade-long corruption that has seen the obliteration of key state institutions and entities.

Corruption, seemingly in ANC’s DNA, has always bedevilled South Africa’s hard-worn freedom and democracy but it was in the past decade that the ruling party took corruption to astonishing levels. The party was unbothered by crooked elements within its ranks and its senior leaders saw nothing wrong with statements such as “I did not join the struggle to be poor”, or politicians have a right to lie.

This is the attitude, driven by nothing but insatiable greed, that threw the entire nation into the pit of misery and dejection. Who could forget the nation’s horror in 2013 when the Guptas, connected to ANC heavies, landed a private jet carrying wedding guests at Air Force Base Waterkloof, a national key point?

The disgusting part of this whole state capture episode is that we are now made to believe that it was the work of few rotten apples within the party. In actual fact, it was the party’s proximity to state power and the silence of the many so-called good people that made it all possible and the party should take collective responsibility.

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Like the two volumes before it, the third part of the state capture report released on Tuesday is an inescapable indictment on the ruling party, detailing how Bosasa’s primary business plan was ensuring ANC remained in power. The company, which scored lucrative contracts with government, made this happen bybankrolling the party’s election machinery in a form of a war room housed at the Bosasa business park.

This, according to the report, was to ensure that the ANC would remain in power and in a position to appoint to positions of public office persons who could be influenced or would seek to influence to Bosasa’s benefit. The report points out that senior party members such as Gwede Mantashe, the ruling party’s national chair and Cabinet minister, personally benefitted from the party’s proximity to power and influence.

According to Acting Chief Justice Judge Raymond Zondo’s 942-page report, there are prima facie corruption cases against Mantashe, then party and state president Jacob Zuma as well as former Cabinet minister Nomvula Mokonyane.

Testimony before the commission is that the trio received benefits from Bosasa, which was awarded at least R2.37 billion in government contracts between 2000 and 2016.

This massive scale corruption has not only destroyed this country and its state functionaries, it has destroyed many lives and careers of upright and patriotic South Africans. Key departments in the social and security clusters are grappling budget cuts when billions of rands have been siphoned out of state coffers.

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Communities have been dumped with substandard infrastructure while key infrastructure such as water and sanitation, as well as electricity and the rail network is crumbling.

This is because money meant for these developments have been stolen, under the watch of a party that once carried the dreams and aspirations of a nation.

South Africans have been betrayed, their dream deferred and their country sold to the highest bidder. And they deserve an apology, or even counselling, and compensation for the trauma and loss.