Durban - The prosecution of those named in the report, according to the federation of trade unions Cosatu, will be the true test of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into allegations of state capture, corruption and fraud in the public sector, including organs of the State.
Sizwe Pamla, the national spokesperson for Cosatu, expressed the federation's hope that the government and the appropriate law enforcement organisations would take decisive action to address the corruption that the commission has exposed.
“The nation’s law enforcement organs like the NPA, SAPS, SIU, Asset Forfeiture Unit, AFU, Department of Justice and other state agencies like SARS need to explain to South Africans how they intend to process the findings and allegations contained in the Zondo Commission’s State Capture Report.
“We expect them to investigate, charge and prosecute all the accused, and also attach the assets of the guilty parties,” Pamla said.
He explained that the federation expected all the involved government agencies to describe how they would strengthen their management and governance frameworks to make sure that such large-scale looting didn't occur again.
In response to the thefts at Eskom, Transnet, and other SOEs, Pamla stated that the Department of Public Enterprises, in particular, has a significant obligation.
“The National Treasury has an ethical responsibility to see to it that the public money is used for its designated purposes and spent within guidelines of existing legislation across the state.
“We expect them to introduce a transparent procurement system and tighten their regulatory framework to close the identified loopholes,” Pamla said.
He continued by saying that political parties whose members were named in the report needed to take decisive action as well - by expelling any compromised party officials or public officials who were still in office.
“We remain perturbed by the lack of appetite and political will to investigate and prosecute private sector corruption. The private sector is the one that corrupted the public sector, and it is mainly responsible for the economic mess that the country finds itself in.
“The Federation working with other social partners intends to rollout a campaign to champion the whistleblowing campaign across all sectors of the economy, and we demand more action against the killing of those who oppose and expose corruption and maladministration,” Pamla said.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE