CHAPTER 9
Countering Corruption
Establish an Integrity Commission to end corruption
The corrupt are thieves, they steal from the poor by diverting public funds meant for service delivery, poverty alleviation and the promotion of a better life for all. The looted money is sent overseas and hidden in bank accounts and investments that are difficult to track and trace. The wide-scale looting that has taken place in South Africa is estimated to be as much as R1.5 trillion. A trillion has 18 zeroes to the left of the decimal point. (R1,500 000 000 000 000 000)
With our high unemployment rate, there are millions of desperately poor and hungry people in our country – they have each lost a significant portion of this money intended to uplift them and improve their lives.
In order to stop the looting of our coffers, the current culture of corruption with no consequences must end. The best way to stop corruption in South Africa is for the government to create a constitutionally compliant entity that is able to prevent, combat, investigate and prosecute corruption, while raking back the loot already stolen.
Only a specialised and well-trained Chapter 9 Integrity Commission, that is independent, well-resourced and secure in its tenure of office, will have the power to bring the corrupt to justice.
Corruption is one of the great scourges of our age. As this book makes clear, it is estimated that trillions of dollars are paid in bribes every year and that developing regions lose ten times more to corruption than they receive in foreign aid, with illicit outflows of the funds that they desperately need totalling more than 1 trillion US dollars per year. The reason for this is not a lack of laws prohibiting corruption in its various forms (there is no shortage of them) but the impunity enjoyed by those guilty of contravening them, resulting from their control of the institutions which are supposed to see to it that the law is enforced.
Integrity Commission Bill, 2021 – proposed by Accountability Now.
To be read with: Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill, 2021 – proposed by Accountability Now
Relevant articles
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Notes for talks on establishing an Integrity Commission
Introduction The purpose of this talk is to present an argument designed to persuade our politicians, and you, that the reform of the criminal justice administration in SA is an urgent priority. We are at a delicate juncture in developing as a constitutional democracy. The entire project is under threat from the corrupt, the kleptocrats […]
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PAUL HOFFMAN: Why is the state not creating an anti-corruption body?
19 September 2021 – 17:57 Paul Hoffman The word vortex is defined as “a whirling mass of fluid or air”, as in a whirlwind or whirlpool. When the new SA dawned in April 1994, a supreme constitution was soon adopted, with the support of the vast majority of the population. It posited a vortex with […]
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GBV, Joblessness and Corruption – join the dots
A chance chat while walking dogs in the milkwood forest on the flank of Chapman’s Peak with a human rights lawyer specializing in gender issues set off a chain of thought that is aimed at pulling together the scourges of gender based violence, joblessness and corruption as they are experienced in SA today. Some tentative […]
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Cost of Corruption | Another pandemic SA is facing
South Africa is currently facing three pandemics, gender-based violence, COVID-19 and corruption. A Unite 4 Mzansi’s case study shows that the country has lost over R1.5 trillion between 2014 and 2019. That was before the PPE corruption. Director at Accountability Now, Paul Hoffman speaks to #eNCA Courtesy #DStv403
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Business Unity’s Bonang Mohale: South Africa is now a hard sell to the global investment community
By Ray Mahlaka• 5 September 2021 The incoming Business Unity SA president has fired a warning to law enforcement agencies to accelerate the prosecution of instigators linked to the violence and looting in July. Bonang Mohale also wants the government to urgently implement structural reforms. https://spkt.io/a/2608362 Helping the ANC-led government to become a capable state […]
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Discussion | Commission’s report being prepared
The State Capture Commission of Inquiry has completed taking evidence and will now be compiling its report and recommendations. Advocacy group Accountability Now says the Commission should be a game-changer for the future of the country. eNCA’s Gareth Edwards speaks to Director and Constitutional Law Expert Advocate Paul Hoffman. Courtesy #DStv403
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Discussion | SA set for a new Chief Justice
What does it take to be the Chief Justice? In two months, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng will finish his tenure leaving the vacancy open. How will his successor be selected and what qualities are needed by the holder of this high office? eNCA’s Gareth Edwards speaks to Lawson Naidoo from the Advancement of the South […]
