EFF statement on the Steinhoff fraud and corruption case sentencing of Gerhardus Burger
27 September 2024
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) note the sentencing of Steinhoff fraud and corruption criminal Gerhardus Burger. Burger pleaded guilty to charges of insider trading, abuse of privilege, and power for personal gain, which contributed to the collapse of Steinhoff, biggest companies in South Africa.
We are not surprised that the prepaid media, which has lost credibility, has chosen to hide the fraudulent and corrupt Burger, who is now a convicted criminal. Instead, the media chose to focus on using Steinhoffs name because "whiteness" must be protected, and the white race must not be associated with the barbaric tendencies of fraud and corruption, even when convicted. This protection extends to racist murderers as well.
Steinhoff remains South Africa's biggest fraud and corruption scandal, orchestrated by those once considered the blue-eyed boys of white monopoly capital, who were trusted and presented as principled and intelligent. In reality, these white boys were running a business built on fraudulent transactions amounting to more than RI 00 billion, money that was never accounted for.
The EFF notes that Burger is just one of many involved in Steinhoff, the largest corporate scandal in South Africa, who are still to face justice. We are deeply concerned that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) seems to be taking a soft-handed approach, failing to pursue the culprits with the necessary vigour, even in cases that appear straightforward.
We emphasise that the sentence handed down to Burger appears extremely lenient, given the severity of the crimes and the enormous financial damage caused to ordinary workers and investors, including the Public Investment Corporation (PIC). It is alarming that when corporate crime involves white people, there seems to be a concerted effort to ensure the culprits avoid custodial sentences, even when the damage caused is unimaginable. Burger, in particular, should be spending time behind bars for proper rehabilitation.
We call on the NPA to stop treating corrupt white criminals with kid gloves and to abandon the apartheid mentality of reserving prisons for black corrupt criminals. All criminals, regardless of race, deserve to serve time behind bars, and justice must be applied indiscriminately.
The EFF further calls on the NPA to take the public into its confidence and provide a detailed update on the pending cases that will be brought before a judge for prosecution. The NPA must also explain why the public never hears of or sees Steinhoffs corrupt and fraudulent criminals being arrested, but only hears of people pleading guilty and receiving suspended sentences.
Issued by Leigh-Ann Mathys, National Spokesperson, EFF, 27 September 2024
