Corruption Watch says it might not be a crime for family members of public representatives to receive government tenders, but it is unethical.
There’s a public uproar after revelations that close family members and friends of a number of ANC leaders have been awarded millions of rands’ worth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) tenders to tackle the coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in the country.
Political Analyst Aubrey Matshiqi discusses the ANC and corruption allegations engulfing the party.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Khusela Diko is implicated in alleged corruption in a Gauteng PPE tender procurement worth over R100 million. ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule’s sons are also reported to have been awarded contracts in the Free State.
Corruption Watch Executive Director, David Lewis, says this points to interference in the tender process.
“It’s certainly unethical for close family, the husband of the spokesperson of the president and close friend and business partner of the MEC for health to receive a massive contract in the decision making around the tender.”
Meanwhile, Magashule said on Tuesday that if there is conflict of interest in family members of politicians doing business with government, it must apply to all politicians.
“If it is a conflict, it means all of South Africans and all political parties must see it as such and we must then legislate. We must create an act, a legislation about it and all of us will be happy because we will abide by the laws of the country, we’ll abide by the constitution of South Africa. Presently, the constitution if you read it verbatim, says anybody and everybody who is South African has a right to participate in the economic activities of South Africa.”
Magasgule briefs the media on COVID-19 corruption allegations:
Committee into COVID-19 corruption success
The director of Accountability Now Advocate Paul Hoffman has warned that the newly-appointed ministerial committee to look into allegations of corruption related to the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic will not succeed unless it reports to an independent body.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the formation of the ministerial committee to investigate allegations of corruption related to the procurement of personal protective equipment. The ministerial committee which Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, will head will be reporting to Ramaphosa.
The establishment of the ministerial committee comes after reports implicated Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Khusela Diko in alleged corruption in a PPE procurement in Gauteng.
Cabinet welcomes government’s intervention to tackle PPE corruption:
