Business Unity SA president Sipho Pityana has called on politicians and public servants to follow the ethical leadership of late auditor-general (AG) Kimi Makwetu.
Pityana was speaking at Makwetu's funeral service at the Fourways Memorial Park Cemetery yesterday.
Pityana said Makwetu led the fight against corruption in the country. “Makwetu was an unwavering giant in the fight against corruption and maladministration. He is an example of a public servant whose mission in life is to serve our people with honour, integrity and dignity,” said Pityana.
“Kimi Makwetu was a South African hero. His piercing mind focused our attention not only on the symptoms of the scourge of corruption or its foundation and root causes, but his consistent and reliable findings offered clear answers to the questions of what is to be done to restore our nation to good governance and ethical leadership.
“We must hold politicians and public servants to account and only then will we be able to ensure that public funds will be spent on the public and not pocketed by thieves. I am not only talking to those in public office whose wrongdoing is exposed by the AG’s office. My comments are equally directed to those in business who see nothing wrong with paying a bribe here, manipulating a tender here, and generally contributing to the erosion of our society through corruption and theft.”
National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise, National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairperson Amos Masondo and state capture commission of inquiry chief investigator Terence Nombembe were among other people who paid tribute to Makwetu.
Modise praised Makwetu for the advice he gave her during her stint as North West premier and NCOP chairperson.
“When I was thrown in the deep end to become premier [between 2010 and 2014] ... advice and cautions I got from the AG's office made me go back to my province to try to fix things. When I went into the NCOP, it was my interaction with Tata Makwetu that pushed me to do a review of the structure of the NCOP and come out with a report which is in the hands of the governing party ...” she said.
“Parliament is not only about us public representatives giving speeches, it's also about representing the people in every respect, interrogating and holding ourselves as legislature accountable, and not just the executive.”
Nombembe said Makwetu represented a “mark of excellence in the public sector”.
Makwetu died last week after a long battle with lung cancer.
A week before his death, he was appointed to the UN Independent Audit Advisory Committee.
The 54-year-old was appointed as AG in December 2013 after serving as deputy auditor-general from 2007.
His term as auditor-general was set to end on November 30. He will be replaced by Tsakani Maluleke, who was his deputy.
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