It shows a complete lack of commitment to seizing the nettle of corruption; all the smooth talk and posture of an anti-corruption stance turns out to be nothing more than lip service.

Developing the necessary political will to tackle corruption is a matter of creating the occasion to put MPs before a stark choice between covering up for the corrupt and confronting the mischief-makers. This process will be instructive as far as voting patterns in forthcoming elections are concerned.

The voters of SA are not fools. They are aware that the poor among them, about half the population, are the ones who suffer most and even die due to the cancerous nature of grand corruption.

The ANC has shown that it is compromised by the large number of corrupt or allegedly corrupt persons in its top leadership. This sad situation ought to inform voters when they cast their votes in May.

Paul Hoffman, SC
Director, Accountability Now