Fifa or Nkandla, Martin Luther King’s words ring true

IT really has not been a great week for public confidence. First the Fifa scandal, which has left us in no doubt of the rot prevalent in international soccer.

There has always been a widely held belief that the global administration of soccer is not clean. Now we are seeing the full extent of that dirt.

And sadly, South Africa is not impervious to the latest allegations. In a move that shook the foundations of the sport, several high-ranking Fifa officials were arrested for serious charges including racketeering, fraud and money laundering.

The 164-page indictment also alleges that a South African bid committee official paid $10-million (about R121-million at today’s rates) to an influential Fifa official.

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula may issue a defensive rebuttal, saying South Africa is not involved in any corruption, but these are serious allegations that will not be swept under the carpet by the typical South African denials and obfuscation.

This corruption has drawn the attention of the US justice department, the FBI and various security agencies from other parts of the world. It is that serious. It cannot be swept away by endless commissions of inquiry, denials and minuscule fines.

In its 85-year history, the Soccer World Cup has been hosted by many nations and I hardly think someone, somewhere, would just want to pick on South Africa. There are US banks and companies involved in this misconduct.

These latest developments do not mean that South Africa did not deserve to host the World Cup in 2010. They also do not mean we did not host a successful tournament. But they do enjoin us to co-operate with the investigation and ask crucial questions about what was negotiated in our name.

Corruption happens everywhere. The Fifa saga has confirmed the bitter truth that where there is money involved, the jostling for position and influence becomes pugnacious.

But there is something encouraging about the arrests of top Fifa officials and the promise by the US attorneygeneral, Loretta Lynch, that there will be more red cards issued against Fifa.

What this means is that depravity will not go unchallenged. White-collar crime is a serious offence. It is not something to giggle about. It creates inequality, erodes trust and ensures that those who have their hands on the levers of power continue to act with impunity and perversion.

It is a pity that in our country the frightening response to corruption is sometimes “There was corruption during apartheid”. If those are our leaders’ role models, we are in trouble.

Take the Nkandla saga, that matter that the president thinks is not important. In parliament this week, he argued that there were more important things. He is wrong. What could be more important than accountability on how public funds are spent?

Even if he believes he did nothing wrong, does he not think suppliers who inflate their prices and civil servants who authorise the expenditure are stealing from the poor?

And this week, his government and party endorsed this theft by declaring that Jacob Zuma is not liable for any costs related to the R240-million-plus “security upgrades” to his home. In fact, more upgrades are on the cards.

There are no words to describe the dishonour and shame of Nkandla. The ANC may convince itself that Nkandla is the concern of whites and “clever blacks”. It may escape accountability on this issue because it has the numbers.

But our lives are not determined by how powerful and popular we are. The words of Martin Luther King jnr ring true: “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

The ANC government’s position on Nkandla is unconscionable.

There are no words to describe the dishonour and shame of Nkandla