Dear Editor,

In his latest communication to “My fellow South Africans” the president has issued an important invitation:

“I call on all South Africans to come together once more and be part of crafting a new vision for South Africa that both speaks to our contemporary challenges and lays the groundwork for the South Africa we want to be.”

Indubitably, most South Africans want to live in a land free of the challenges posed by the debilitating effects of rampant grand corruption with impunity that is currently the bane of their lot in life. Parliamentary Chief Whip of the DA, Glynnis Breytenbach, is the sponsor of new legislation, pending in parliament since November 2024, that envisages the establishment and empowerment of a new Chapter Nine Anti-Corruption Commission. The Ch9ACC should be fast-tracked to form part of that “new vision.” Sadly, it languishes on the Speaker’s back burner with little progress made in eighteen months.

Lord Peter Hain self-identifies as “a Pretoria boy”. In his latest book “Liberation and Corruption – why Freedom Movements Fail” he refers to the “growing number of South African opinion formers” that “has gathered to back an International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC)and strives to garner support from diverse civil society groups”. His final remarks on the subject bear repetition, and careful noting by the president:

“The establishment of the IACC is not just a legal necessity but a moral imperative. It would provide a collective commitment to a just, transparent and corruption-free world, promoting the principles of fairness, equality and accountability, and help to ensure that corruption has no place to hide”.

The creation of the IACC is the main project of Integrity Initiatives International. Its Vice Chair is our own Justice Richard Goldstone, under whose leadership a globally diverse group of experts has been convened to prepare a draft model IACC treaty. Quite clearly, given the visionary intentions of the president set out above, SA should broaden its support of the IACC initiative and assist in bringing the project to fruition as soon as is humanly possible.

Yours in accountability,

Paul Hoffman SC