COSATU welcomes ‘name and shame' announcement
The Congress of South African Trade Unions warmly welcomes the announcement by Justice Minister Jeff Radebe that he is to "name and shame" all people who have been convicted in cases of corruption and all those whose assets have either been frozen or have been forfeited to the state.
This is a major step forward in the war against the scourge of corruption. Making the names public will make potential offenders think twice before ripping off their fellow South Africans if they know that their family, friends and neighbours will find out what they have done.
COSATU also applauds the good progress the government's anti-corruption task team has made since 2010. The minister reported that over the past three years, 237 corrupt officials have been arrested and 32 have been convicted, while only two have been acquitted. Another 203 cases are still before the courts.
Criminal assets of 59 people, to the value of R816-million have already been frozen and nearly R78-million has already been forfeited and returned to the state. The task team, working with the department of rural development and land reform, has recovered three farms valued at R59-million, which were lost through acts of corruption and a further five farms, valued at R74-million, have been frozen and should be recovered soon.
The federation hopes that this momentum will be maintained and that we are finally turning the tide of corruption and theft from the public purse. We also hope that this new tough approach will not be confined to public servants but the business people they collaborate with and also elected representatives at every level who are found guilty of corruption or fraud.
COSATU pledges to everything possible to help the minister to publicise the names and will work closely with CorruptionWatch to keep the government well informed of allegation from our members and the public.
Statement issued by Patrick Craven, COSATU national spokesperson, February 25 2013
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