Thieves looting while SA is in ICU

In the deadly shadow of Covid-19, and in the midst of massive deaths and utmost desolation, thieves wearing the garment of state and semi-state institutions are brazenly and audaciously siphoning billions of rands of state-allocated money earmarked to fight the deadliest plague to confront our nation.

The nation is in ICU, yet shameless financial predators have the guts and the temerity to ruthlessly steal money that was destined for the poor, the sick, the homeless, the jobless.

The nation is tottering on the brink of collapse, starvation stalks the land, yet in this awesome tragedy, diabolical agents of greed bleed the country to a premature death.

Mahatma Gandhi’s famous quote stating that there are enough resources to meet enough human need on Earth, but not enough to meet human greed, resonates in our plague-stricken country. Checks and balances are weak, dissent is crushed, alternative views are discarded, culminating in low accountability, which further deteriorates leadership and reinforces corruption. Whereas the ubiquity and repercussions of endemic corruption have been widely articulated, the fight against it seems to be a fleeting illusion.

Under our current lockdown, hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ money ends up in the hands of embezzlers and tenderpreneurs. In four months, these faceless usurpers, have earned MBAs in looting, PhDs in lying under oath, while others who joined the never-ending gravy train earned diplomas in embezzlement.

The collapse of political leadership is striking. In the eye of the storm, and at a grave moment in our history, the masses are crying out for smart leadership. A disillusioned electorate will have its final say at the next general election. Sadly, today we have leaders who were enthroned and legitimised by elections, A reality check reveals that our democracy has lost its way and its essence.

Farouk Araie, Actonville, Benoni