Making a mistake once, simply means being cautious the second time arround, but it seems our government keeps falling into the same trap time and time again. After our president Mr Jacob Zuma had announced in the State of the Nation's address that fighting corruption will become a
priority to the government, Mail & Gaurdian reported that Lucky Montana, the Group CEO of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) had been accused of
tender irregularities that accumulated to more than 1billion. It is certainly disturbing to keep hearing that members of the government as well as govrnmental organisations are getting involved in such deals for their own benifits, while so much work still needs to be done all around the country, such as
- Developing proper school buildings in some rural ereas
- Building and maintaining proper raods for Gauteng and other places
- Providing proper sanitation in some places such as parts of the Eastern Cape
The question is, since such cases keep occuring, what is it that the government is doing to stop them. This morning on Morning Live, the president stated that it is impossible to fight corruption all in one go, it will take time. That may be true, but this is certainly not a problem that only accured yesterday. The public has waited, and is still waiting! Could it be that we are expecting too much too soon, or is the govrnment dragging their feet in calling
their own people into order?
This is unacceptable. One billion is a lot of money that could have been used up for a lot of government projects. The next thing PRASA / TRANSNET will be requesting government bail out worth millions. What is it with these big shots appointed to run major government parastatals?
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to notice that the country is not only looted by greedy politicians but by greedy highly educated individuals as well. Over one billion, I mean really?
ReplyDeleteOur President may say that fighting corruption will become a priority, but the truth of the matter is that, as long as it is the people whom he had benefited from prior to his seniour post that are participating in these criminal activities, to exposing them and have them to account on their wrong doing won't be easy. It is true that few years down the line PRASA will come back to government for fanancial rescuing and to who's pockets is that going to hit?-the tax payers pockets.
ReplyDeleteexpecting too much from a government that is expecting to deliver less is an "Everest-climb." it's been said that "if you repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth", wrong, but in this case repeat a lie often enough and it becomes politics. my question though is what are the measures the government has implemented to curb corruption? cause the way it looks like its as if they are none or it has but they are just too many loop holes. or is it that those in charge of taking action are they themselves corrupt?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it's more than 1 Billion. A billion is just in "reported irregularities." What about misappropriated tenders? And those one under the table "legally"? Tender game is even dirtier that they admit!
ReplyDeleteLike the great Albert Einstein once said - "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results". We're expecting already corrupt officials to be the ones fighting corruption, this is basically a losing battle. New tried and tested strategies of obtaining tenders need to put in place. The officials themselves need to be investigated before being appointed. We can no longer view this as a 'trap' or an 'irregularity' when we already know what the outcome will be if we carry on using the same dysfunctional system.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the president understand the meaning priority, why is he saying "it is imposible to fight corruption at one go, it will take time" to me there is no sense of urgency in that.....and yet there only one solution to this corruption sickeness, STOP TENDERS and create jobs within government and all corruption gone at one go.....
ReplyDeleteNice piece! And it got me thinking... Not long ago our government announced - during the 2012 Budget Speech - that it would be spending more than a R1 trillion over the next year. That's a lot of wonga! While the bulk of the money will certainly be channelled towards the designated projects, it's almost inevitable - given how toothless our authorities are at fighting corruption - that some of it would be illegally channelled to support the rich lifestyles of the politically connected. And of course, the tender irregularites mentioned here offer the best vehicle for pursuing corrupt activities.
ReplyDeleteJust wishing to point out a few activities one has experienced within the governemnt's SCM departments which lead to Tender irregularities:-
ReplyDelete1) Hiring of temporary/contract workers in the SCM section/division of a governement department - such (temporary) officials are tempted to accept bribes from Service Providers (SP)/Vendors (those who bid for tenders) in return for favours that compromise the fairness of the tendering process as this would mean that appointments for tendered jobs are not obtained on suitability & qualification but based on bribes. (A little diversion:- it's the same challenge with the increase in crime:- SAPS hires voluntering police officials who when they have to charge or report a criminal offence would accept a bribe instead as voluntering does not pay them a cent).
2) Most Government officials working within SCM divisions have CCs registered under their relatives' names. So what happens is that when SPs have to submit quoations for the job their relatives would have already given them the Estimate Amount for the job hence their quoations would always be approved as 'fair & reasonable' and be given a job.
3) In most SCM government departments officials working in that division 'know one another' and are a web you cannot dismantle as they always award tenders to 'their own' companies.
Maybe the comment by our honourable president that rooting out corruption is not an overnight affair is in light of such webs which extend from Director to grass-root level.
Also worth noting is that some of our officials (even top management) believe that the old government squandered & pick-pocketed tax-payers money and no big deal was made out of it; so believe they are within their 'right' as the now governement.
Come on guys, what is happening to our country? especially when it comes to anything that has to do with the word Tender? We are heading towards a situation where people will want to loot the country up to a point where they have more wealth than the country itself.
ReplyDeleteIs this not a reflection of our society? How many of us would be willing to pay a bribe so we can jump the queue or get out of sticky situation? I think the long-term solution to this problem starts within ourselves and our homes. We need to reawaken our conscience.
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, South Africa has laws and policies that are meant to guard against such scourges - the PFMA springs to mind. Government needs to start enforcing these laws, and we as citizens need to ensure that this happens. Everybody has a role; nobody sleeps.
The African continent is filled with casualties as a result of corruption. I thought South Africa would be exempt because, if nothing else, we would learn from our neighbours. Sadly, this does not seem to be the case. However, I am not giving up on this beautiful country of ours.
Good article, Ntokozo. Our country needs such voices as yours.
Do you guys honestly think we can ever have a corruption free government. what will it take for us to get there? Yes it may be the reflection of our society, but if those who are leading us are doing it, then how will their followers change?
ReplyDeleteDishonest governance is the antithesis of what our fragile democratic state needs at the moment. Leaders with no integrity and every intension for ill-gotten gain should be replaced with competent people who are sold out to the idea of serving this country and its peole. In my honest opinion I believe it is time to "change the gaurd", this beutiful country has never been more ready for progress and transperancy than it is now. Out with the old in with the new!
ReplyDeleteGeorge Orwell wrote a book called ANIMAL FARM, and the greatest lines in that book is "... some animals are MORE EQUAL than other animals". The government is a perfect example of this life in action. Government sees itself as more equal, more important than the people they serve! Tenders will never be distributed according to merit, but according to who is willing to bride the other more to get it.
ReplyDeleteThe thing with tenders is that they are the function of MORAL HAZARD. Its a Moral Hazard in the sense that the people giving out the tenders are not the ones who will be giving the money from their own pockets, but the pockets of the pool of tax payers (me, you, your uncle, every tax paying citizen in this country)! They don't care because it is not their money..... until they take responsibility, and are help accountable, corruption (in the tender process, and in everything else) will not end.... it will continue to be a forever septic wound in this country.