DA to reject any legislation aimed at creating yet another futile Ramaphosa anti-corruption body

16 February 2021

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will reject any form of legislation brought before Parliament that seeks to establish another futile statutory body on corruption. South Africa already has enough corruption busting agencies and it doesn't need a new one. What it does need is for those that already exist to work.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement during the State of the Nation Address last week of a statutory body under the National Anti-Corruption Strategy.

The DA believes that instead of creating more talk shops on corruption, existing law enforcement agencies should be strengthened and rid of ANC political interference in order for them to deal with constitutional delinquents like former President Jacob Zuma and ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, and so many more.

The President indicated that government would “be appointing the members of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council...that will oversee the...establishment of an independent statutory anti-corruption body that reports to Parliament”. Since statutory bodies are established by an Act of Parliament, the DA will reject any legislation brought before the national Legislature seeking to establish such a body.

How can we trust that the President’s new anti-corruption body will be effective, when the President himself doesn’t have the backbone to fight corruption within his own party?

Under President Ramphosa’s leadership, the ANC has been twiddling its thumbs when it comes to corruption. The latest being the inaction to act against Zuma’s refusal to testify on corruption allegations before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. Zuma is openly and blatantly laughing at the Constitution, and the ANC is just spectating. Therefore, another body on corruption will completely fail to detoxify the ANC, and by extension the government, of the corruption that is so deeply rooted in the organization.

The evidence that this will be another fruitless venture is clear: not a single arrest has been made against any high profile ANC cadre who has been charged with corruption. The ANC’s own so-called Step Aside-policy is causing party infighting and has become the laughing stock as factions play ball with it. This is yet another reason why the proposed body on corruption is just another attempt at a smokescreen set up to blindside the public.

Instead of wasting precious public money on a toothless statutory body, we urge the President to strengthen corruption busting law enforcement agencies with proper budgets and resources and to rid them of cadre deployment and ANC political interference.

Issued by Glynnis Breytenbach,DA Shadow Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, 16 February 2021