DA to prepare draft legislation to prevent anyone who has been found guilty of corruption from becoming public representatives

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will prepare draft legislation for submission to the Constitution Review Committee of Parliament to change section 47 of the Constitution to prevent anyone who has been found guilty of corruption by a court of law from becoming a public representative. This will send a clear message to individuals who seek to abuse their public office for personal gain that we are serious about rooting out corruption in government.

We believe that the ANC's decision to nominate individuals who have been found guilty of corruption to serve as its public representatives undermines the country's efforts to promote and uphold principles of good governance, and completely contradicts ANC President Jacob Zuma's assertion that ‘...the ANC does not condone or tolerate corruption'.

The nomination of an ethically-tainted individual such as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela - who was given a three and half year sentence, suspended for a period for five years, for 43 counts of fraud in 2004 - goes against the spirit of the Constitution. Her suspended sentence has not yet elapsed, it will lapse at the end of 2009, which means that she has not completed her sentence, and this is seemingly enough to challenge her suitability for serving as a Member of Parliament.

The ANC's decision to return at least five individuals, namely; Bathabile Dlamini, Beauty Dludlane, Duma Ndleleni, Angie Molebatsi and Ruth Bhengu - who were all found guilty of misusing taxpayers' money in the Travelgate scandal - underscores the governing party's contempt for Parliament. These individuals betrayed the public yet the ANC sees fit to ‘deploy' them to the same institution which they defrauded. The ANC's tendency to elevate its corrupt loyalists to senior positions in the public service creates the impression that it believes its leaders are somehow above the law of the country.

The nomination of these corrupt individuals further reaffirms the moral bankruptcy of the ANC. It seems that the governing party not only condones and tolerates corruption; it also rewards it.

Statement issued by Ian Davidson MP, Democratic Alliance chief whip, February 26 2009

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