Secrets of state capture
INQUIRY: REVEALS AMBITIONS OF PLAYERS
What’s playing out teaches South Africans important lessons.
What’s currently playing out in the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture testimonies, in full view of the public, teaches South Africans important lessons. It has shown many how the degeneracy of the political elite and their intoxication with power has absolutely corrupted some.
The ANC leaders’ debauched proclivities display the clay feet of those supposedly serving the people, when, in fact, they were helping themselves to the gravy.
In many ways, it’s these “it’s our time to eat” tendencies that have reduced state organs to failed ones and a government to one that’s unable to serve the people. Without principled leaders, opportunistic politicians will rise to power, plunder institutions and devastate the economy.
In all of this, the first lesson that escapes our leaders relates to issues of poor governance, individuals weakening state institutions, and law enforcement being used to settle political scores. When leaders fail to hold each other accountable, party structures are too weak to enforce the law – and resignations are lauded, while perpetrators walk free. This leads to a weakening of governing capacity.
The second lesson is that when a mechanism is needed to ensure government provides institutions within which the rule of law, accountability and public authority is enforced, those with corrupt ambitions will gladly run the show, to the harm of society, especially its most vulnerable.
The third lesson is one many politicians have a hard time understanding: effective governance is crucial to economic growth and progress in a young democracy. Especially one that needs investment to unlock an economy stuck in a low-growth zone with significant unemployment.
These weaknesses are a catalyst to enabling corrupt behaviour. Two Corruption Watch reports – The Time is Now and Analysis of Corruption Trends – illustrate how key government institutions aren’t only affected, but in some cases destroyed, while others are used for political battles.
Where institutions meant to examine the activity and effectiveness of government are hollowed out or weakened, lawlessness takes hold. It creates parallel informal institutions where cliques can loot and operate without any consequences. The SABC is a good example: Hlaudi Motsoeneng regarded himself as not bound by any rules except his own.
Given the links between politics and the state’s activities, it’s easy to understand how corruption has become synonymous with government – and how this in turn sees SA continuing to be trapped in the high inequality, low job creation cycle.
In our young democracy, government and its associated institutions should be seen to be effective – not weakened by corruption, ineffectualness and poor governance. This escapes our politicians.
This is when they should look at countries that were able to lift their economies by realising the state must facilitate private sector investment. It can do so through effective governance.