We must understand that for every bribee, there must be a briber and for every corruptee, there must be a corruptor. We will not beat corruption unless we take both sides equally seriously.
We cannot accept that it is ok to offer a bribe, but not to accept a bribe. That is the perversion of our morality that we face and that creates imbalance in our system.
We must widen the definition of moral regeneration beyond society's obsession with a narrow morality pertaining primarily to sexual behaviour. Corruption is a morality issue needing a broad understanding and widely partnered response.
Poor communities treat people like Colin Stansfield as heroes for beating the system and for the conditional protection they offer in complicated environments.
The wealthy on the other hand give celebrity status to rich, foreign individuals, many of whom are internationally discredited. In exchange for their investment in our lucrative property market, they are unconditionally welcomed. This implicit glorification of bribers and unbalanced focus on those who accept bribes does not take us forward. We cannot allow the seemingly innocuous to escape scrutiny.
We are confident that we have put the most extensive anti-corruption instruments in place during this first decade of democracy. The perception of South Africa as corrupt is a function of the fact that these instruments are working. Where some see high profile anti-corruption cases as a sign of depravity in our society, we should begin to see it instead as affirmation that the system is working and that no person is exempt from due process.
We must challenge business and developers about their own ethics. Corruption in the State is considered rife, yet corruption in the private sector is considered 'clever business practise'. Unless we place issues such as tax evasion and fronting within the ambit of morality, we will never create the necessary consistent moral outrage to address this problem.
The Western Cape is notorious for alleged corruption in planning matters ranging from golf estates to zoning. We have been made aware that many developers even budget for litigation against the State and bribes that would be needed to push through unscrupulous developments. We are addressing the discretion gaps that many exploit by establishing systems that are transparent and predictable. This will close this area of corruption for once and all.
My challenge is to our business leaders to institute the same rigour and depth to combat corruption in their midst as Government has done. They should set a clear example by distancing themselves especially from tax evasion, fronting and development corruption.
Enquiries:Redi Direko
Cell: 082 805 9119
