ANALYSIS
Frank Chikane’s ambition impossible — what chance that the ANC finally turns against corruption?
While many in the ANC are working to strengthen the party structures before next year’s elections, corruption remains a crucial factor in the minds of many voters. They will be aware of how ANC delegates at a conference pass a resolution calling for action against corruption, while still electing people tainted by corruption to leadership positions.
The ANC’s Integrity Commission chair, Frank Chikane, says that there are some people in the party’s leadership who are “not really concerned about their integrity”. He has promised a much more assertive approach within the party and claims the commission’s terms of reference have been changed to allow for this toughening. The mountain before him, though, may be too high to climb.
Ahead of next year’s elections, it is likely that load shedding will only be joined by corruption as the top issue for SA voters. While the ANC has claimed, again and again, that it is finally, truly going to crack down on corruption, and has implemented a “step aside” resolution, it has still not dealt with the problem in a meaningful way.
The evidence of this is clear. The ANC’s December conference saw Mduduzi Manana (who assaulted a woman in a parking lot), the liar Malusi Gigaba (who the Zondo Commission found received money from the Guptas) and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe (who received a gratification from Bosasa) elected to the party’s top leadership.
One reason for this is that political parties find it difficult to discipline people with strong constituencies. It is impossible to imagine the ANC during the Zuma era acting against him.
Now, Chikane claims to be on a mission to change this, saying that he has been given the mandate to be more assertive. No longer will his commission only deal with cases that are brought before it. In other words, the commission will not have to wait for the National Executive Committee (NEC) to refer cases to it, but will be more proactive.
While this may give those who support the ANC cause for optimism, the scale of the problem is surely beyond the commission.
An incredible admission
As Chikane himself said on Wednesday on SAFM, “There are cases of the past, many of them coming from the Zondo Commission. Ninety-seven people referred to the [Integrity] Commission did not appear before the commission within the prescribed time. And we referred them back to the NEC to refer them to the disciplinary machinery.”
This is an incredible admission. It suggests that all, or almost all, of the people against whom findings were made by the Zondo Commission did not go to the Integrity Commission as ordered to by the NEC.
But based on previous experience, this was the right choice for them. It confirms the worst suspicions — that they had nothing to fear after ignoring the call for accountability.
In short, there has been no political price for their role in State Capture, despite the Zondo Commission’s findings against them.
Chikane is also pointing to the source of the problem — which is that any decision by the commission is still beholden to the NEC. It has the power to overrule any decision by the Integrity Commission.
For instance, just ahead of the ANC’s conference in December, the elections committee ruled that Bathabile Dlamini could not stand for election to the NEC because she had been convicted of perjury. The NEC overruled that decision during the conference and allowed her to run.
The 97 people Chikane referred to may well believe that they too will be absolved by the NEC.
Chikane refuses to speak about individual cases. While this may be correct for someone who chairs a committee that has to make findings about such people, it also follows a pattern set by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
His formal response as head of government to the Zondo Commission was to change the structure of certain parts of government, such as the State Security Agency, saying this would prevent State Capture from happening again.
But Ramaphosa failed to take any action against the affected politicians whom he had appointed to the government.
This is the same problem that has prevented the ANC from acting against corruption in the first place — the people who are corrupt have constituencies in the party.
As others have noted, ANC delegates at a conference will pass a resolution calling for action against corruption, while electing people with evidence of corruption against them to leadership positions.
For Chikane, this is an impossible problem.
For example, if more evidence were to emerge implicating Ramaphosa in wrongdoing in the Phala Phala scandal, would he really act against the sitting President? How “assertive” would he be in that case?
All of this leads to the same problem the ANC has had probably since Tony Yengeni was carried shoulder-high to Pollsmoor Prison: despite all sorts of promises, its actions do not live up to its words.
However, things may be changing. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is now more likely than ever before to prosecute those implicated in State Capture by the Zondo Commission, despite the big setback when the Nulane case against high-profile suspects collapsed.
This could lead to the NPA being seen as overtaking the ANC’s Integrity Commission. This would obviously be embarrassing for the commission and the ANC as a whole.
While in the past, the ANC was able to win the support of many voters, the lie of the electoral land is changing. It now appears that unless the ANC actually acts on its words, unless it takes action against those who are corrupt, voters will finally turn away from the party.
Chikane’s promises, as strong as they may be, are still just words. It seems impossible that he will be able to turn them into action. DM
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Bigger chance that hell freezes over
In most democratic countries, a corrupt government like ours would long by now had been voted out and there would be no reason for people like Chikane to climb “such high mountains” Unfortunately, our democracy is nothing more than a “Dictatorship of stupidity” – way too many people voting for empty promises like this one.
Another nifty pre-election hustle to show how upright the ANC is.
Of course, if the NPA did its job this “Integrity Commission” wouldn’t need to exist. The ANC as a whole is devoid of integrity. The concept is unknown to the entire NEC.
The ANC is corruption – a snake does not eat itself.
What evidence exists, if any, that the NPA will act more decisively against corruption? Your belief seems even less credible than Frank’s assertion that the ANC-IC is growing teeth! There is not one grain of evidence that the ANC is any different to any other party (Including the DA): Parties have lied, do lie, and will lie to get and hold on to votes. The party with the most power has more to lie about than, say, the Christian Democrats, whom nobody watches cos they have no gains worth lying about. Obviously, the ANC lies through its back teeth. There is not a statement it utters we can trust. This will never change while it has power.
Dennis, I think you are being a bit harsh on the DA. I live in a little town in the Western Cape, and for the most part, I am impressed by the quality of the services delivered, the competence of the people in the municipality, the responsiveness when assistance is needed. That is the definition of good government, when in an unobtrusive way, services are provided at a reasonable cost with very little “leakage” due to theft or wastage. That is simply not the case in ANC led municipalities. Joburg is a case in point.
I am originally from the E Cape, but have lived in CT for many years. Knowing what is going on in those towns compared to here, it is blatantly obvious that the ONLY party worth voting for is the DA. People love to talk nonsense about them, justifying voting for one of these irrelevant, smaller parties which is an absolute waste of a vote as we need one strong opposition party. The proof is in the pudding with regards to leading by example. Clean audits, well run cities/towns, transparency, ethics etc. No one is perfect, but, there is absolutely no comparison between the DA and the ANC AS Dennis has stated.
I agree. And in the DA led Umngeni Municipality in KZN , the transformation has been nothing short of miraculous, for ALL its people!
So many structures and inquiries, but no actions. Defiance in the face of accountability, from the days of Yengeni. Nothing has changed and it’s unfortunate for the country that we seem unable to produce competent and effective leadership. The ANC is beyond transformation. (The use of the word “integrity” is a stretch… I’d be happy with “not blatantly criminal “)
Imagine that all members who manage to score through corruption kick some back to the party. Then it makes the party complicit by acceptance. Also, since “everyone” is doing it, how can any individual now be singled out by the commission? A reset is needed.
Re-create the (independent) Scorpions, or prove yourselves to be hypocrites.
Wasn’t that how Ramaphosa made his money… ANC creates regulation enforcing BEE at an ownership level. Ramaphosa leaves politics and offers his services to be that well connected B that companies need, and he is gifted with ridiculous levels of shares and board positions, from where he channels some back to the ANC… Just because its the law doesn’t mean it is legit, or ethical or appropriate…
This describes the ANC.
Ineptocracy (in-ep-toc’-ra-cy) – a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.
kakistocracy?
The much better new word (and you can Google it) to describe SA is Kakistocracy – meaning a country ruled by inept leaders. The word is not linked to or derived from Afrikaans but is in fact ancient Greek in its origin.
Imagine Cyril Ramaphosa standing in parliament and telling South Africa the truth behind the Phala Phala saga. If it was untainted he would have done so long ago just to ease the pressure but he hasn’t, so the stink of corruption lingers around our president. Imagine also if Ramaphosa could prove he is not guilty of corruption, would he then fire Gwede Mantashe who also bears the stink of corruption? Not a chance and therein lies the rub. The ANC is rotten from top to bottom and Frank Chikane lives in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks he can pull the ANC out of its monumental and deeply ingrained system of buddy-buddy corruption. One final imagine. Imagine Ramaphosa underlining his stated commitment to fighting ANC corruption by reinstating the Scorpions with unfettered powers to do the superb job they did before Zuma came along. That Mr. Chikane is what you’re up against. An impossible scenario. Good luck with your honourable crusade. Nice concept, but doomed to never leave the launchpad and put SA out of its misery.