Time ripe to root out corruption

Yesterday we reported about former Land Bank CEO Phil Mohlahlane stealing R6-million from the institution. He was found guilty by the Pretoria Commercial Crimes Court together with three co-accused, including Manyaba Mohlaloga, who at the time, was chairman of the portfolio committee of agriculture in parliament.

Even more disappointing about the crime by these two officials who held positions of trust is that they stole from the funds meant for the development of black farmers. By extension, that also means obstruction of efforts to help poor farmers who struggle to get their operations off the ground.

This story, which received little media attention, is similar to what happened with the Vrede dairy project, despite the massively contrasting amounts of monies involved. In Vrede R240-million meant to empower black farmers was stolen, allegedly with the help of the Free State government.

The common denominator between the two cases is that aspirations of poor black farmers were harmed by officials serving a government which styles itself as pro-poor. This self-given status has over the years come under fire from opposition parties and critics who have gone to the extend of labelling the ANC-led government “anti-poor”.

A flurry of inquiries and hearings involving numerous government officials and executives of state-owned enterprises is currently on. All are facing questions about suspiciously criminal conduct which had adverse consequences on the welfare of citizens, especially the poor.

Even more dispiriting, these probing processes, while still on, have revealed how impunity had been the operational attitude by those in charge. This has emerged in the Life Esidimeni hearings and the Eskom inquiry in parliament, where officials pleaded ignorance over criminal conduct they presided over in their positions.

In the social grants inquiry, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini is also totally out of her depth trying to deflect questions about her responsibility in the grants saga.

With the terms of reference of the state of capture commission of inquiry scheduled to be announced today, perhaps the path leading to uprooting corruption and indolence will start in earnest.