We’re all corrupted by corruption
Sir,
Many people talk about corruption at almost any given moment and vow to fight it at all levels but nobody seems to take them seriously. I guess what compounds this problem and causes many culprits in our shores to go back to complacent slumber instead of repenting is the fact that for so long there have been many reported cases of corruption with no serious action being taken against the culprits. To consolidate this apathy towards corruption is the fact that we seemingly lack the capability to investigate and bust syndicates that involve multimillions. And as a result of this, many nightrider pirates are doing as they please without any fear.
Fight
We, as a country, need to move fast in the fight against corruption and ensure that we spare and respect no one and anyone who takes this lightly does so at their own peril. We are possibly going to see what is mentioned in the Bible about the dreaded day that is coming, wherein those who took it lightly will be running from mountain to mountain trying to save their complacent selves but it will be too late. When the roosters finally come to nest on corruption, surely there will be no space for it anywhere.
It should be a serious concern that corruption in the country has been institutionalised as we have heard many stating corruption promoting lingos such as, ‘you eat and wipe your mouth dry (udla usule umlomo) and those who see you must naturally keep quiet (kubindvwa kubonwa, ligama lemuntfu yinkhomo).
And what of the scary but common idiom which asserts that you can even steal from the King as long as he does not find out (inkhosi iyebelwa)? I put it to all emaSwati that in a way all of us could be corrupt or are corrupted by corruption.
On top of the actively corrupt officials, there are those who have amassed so much wealth from public coffers such that they have retired from the game, and are now laughing at those who have been disgraced as if they are clean. When the public says corruption is institutionalised in Eswatini they don’t mean that our authorities support and live by it but, more importantly, they mean Eswatini has been operating at a snail’s pace or seemingly unwilling to deal with well-known cases of corruption, let alone expose it to the public. Sadly this pace disappoints the masses and helps corruption to sky rocket.
If Eswatini was in a better political and economic situation, many public officials, whose innuendos with corruption have been overlooked, would have been sent packing long ago. Let me warn those who continue to thrive on corruption that some of us will fight it like wounded buffaloes. However, we also need officials who have the same attitude if we are to win this war.
Lichudze selikhalile