It must obviously be a priority of the newly installed national cabinet to get SA off the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylist as soon as possible. Tinkering by the Treasury won’t do. (“SA working to exit FATF greylist by June 2025, says Treasury”, July 2).

Remaining on the list a moment longer than is unavoidable puts SA in bad international company and exponentially increases the cost of the borrowings necessary to keep the country afloat. It accordingly behoves government to pay close attention to doing what the FATF requires, not cosmetically but by way of radical reform of the criminal justice administration. This is long overdue, certainly since the generally accepted failure of the now broken system put in place in 2009 by the ANC to replace the dissolved Scorpions.

The FATF has a focus on money laundering and terrorism financing, both of which fit snugly into the categories of organised crime and serious corruption targeted by the two bills the DA has promised to introduce in parliament within 100 days of the commencement of the seventh parliament.

The FATF points to the need for more resources and capacity in the criminal justice administration of SA. Its current limping capacity to rake back the loot of state capture deprives the system of resources that could be brought to bear in the fight-for-life against the corrupt.

A Chapter Nine Anti-Corruption Commission is clearly the way forward, and the political will to support its establishment is needed for the first bold step the new cabinet must take.

Paul Hoffman
Director, Accountability Now