The Constitution of the Republic of SA has provisions to protect the country against any threats determined by greedy people who, by virtue of being in leadership positions, are expected to be the vanguard.
Unfortunately, though the existing provisions are clear and well outlined, SA has been navigating the corruption storm with looters rampantly ransacking and silently masquerading as “Black Excellence”.
It is an open secret that expectations are that a politician’s name will be referenced as a driving force whenever a corruption scandal is uncovered. However, the revelations on corrupt activities at the National Lottery Commission (NLC) portray a distinct reality as the corrupt activities involve celebrities and musicians.
These developments refresh our memories about “thatha ma-chance thatha ma-millions”, a very popular National Lottery Commission pay offline, meaning “take chances, you take millions”. Involved celebrities and musicians probably wanted to prove that this payoff line can be emulated differently.
The recent publishing of the beneficiaries of the corrupt activities at the National Lottery Commission by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) deserves a round of applause. Also, such progress should be supplemented through action by other law enforcement agencies.
Otherwise, wrong narratives will be advocated on social networks. It is a sad reality that before 2018, little was known about the SIU that can inspire confidence to the extent that even common people cheer its reports and actions to freeze the proceeds of the uncovered corruption activities.
The SIU is an independent statutory body established in terms of the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act, Act No. 74 of 1996, a confirmation that the SIU is old, however, its purpose and impacts are yet to be felt.
It is worth mentioning that when it was established, the SIU was expected to be a panacea against corruption, however, lack of determination to empower its purpose and relevance through proclamations hindered its triumph distinctly from its current being, which unceasingly draws the public’s attention whenever Adv Andy Mothibi briefs the media. The excellent work SIU is doing shows the potential for our country to undo the brand damage caused by corruption.
So, now that the SIU is unstoppable, we ought to support its work and counter any despicable chronicles aimed at sinking its discoveries into mere hogwash. History can attest that those found by law enforcement agencies (NPA, Hawks etc.) to be on the wrong side of the law choose Twitter platforms and sponsored podcasts to drive their virtuousness narrative.
The recent interview by the Kwaito maestro Arthur Mafokate is a typical case study, and he further argues in one of his tweets that “Black excellence is under siege”. Of course, his approach is nothing new, but he has learnt from the likes of Twitter engineer Matshela Koko who, since charged with corruption, argues through his Twitter account that the NPA has a weak case against him.
Therefore, though the SIU is doing well against corruption through proclamations signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, its work will be construed as just magniloquence if the NPA and the Hawks are not supplementing by arresting and successful prosecution.
This begs law enforcement agencies to sing from the same hymn book against corruption and ensures a speedy conclusion of corruption-related cases emanating from the SIU’s investigations and findings. Any prospects in this regard will go a long way in reinventing the country’s image and global standing.
The negative misconceptions about SA informed sympathetic narratives about where our country was going such that others painstakingly argued “cry beloved South Africa”, while others saw the trajectory as a betrayal of the aspiration of the rainbow nation mooted under Nelson Mandela’s leadership.
Despite such low morale, the SIU is doing tremendous work, hence one is confident that the turn of the tide is upon us, as efforts against corruption have immensely contributed to global confidence in our country.
Such confidence has been elaborated by international investors’ interest in SA to prove law enforcement agencies’ determination, particularly the SIU, are not in vain but contribute towards rebuilding the competitive brand in SA.
Singo is a South African diplomat based in Europe. He writes in his personal capacity
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