Cancellation of arms deal probe
The Congress of South African Trade Unions is extremely concerned at media reports that the Hawks' investigation into corruption in the arms deal has been abandoned, and demands that if any such decision has been taken that it be reversed.
It is essential that the government be consistent in its campaign against corruption and not leave any allegations unprobed; and the arms deal is a test case of our seriousness in tackling the question. As General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi said at a lecture in Khayelitsha in honour of Irene Grootboom, on 18 October 2010:
"Cosatu is extremely worried that investigations into the arms deal will be closed down. There is no doubt in our minds that a lot of corruption happened in the procurement process."
COSATU's 9th National Congress reaffirmed the call for a full and impartial investigation into the arms deal and nothing has transpired since then to make us change our minds. On the contrary, there is mounting evidence that corruption is rampant.
On Friday 22 October the streets of Klerksdorp will be brought to a halt as COSATU and SAMWU members in the North West Province and other trade union activists from all over the country sing and toy-toy to expose, among others:
1. Rampant corruption, which is taking place in almost all North West municipalities.
2. Failure by the Minister of Corporate Governance and Traditional Affairs to release a much awaited report on Corruption in the North West Province.
In Mpumalanga, corruption is literally a matter of life and death. The alleged poisoning of James Mkambule is just the latest suspicious death of those known for exposing graft and corruption in the province. Others include Mbombela council speaker Jimmy Mohlala and SACP stalwart, Bomber Ntshangase. We demand that no stone be left unturned to bring their killers to justice.
Corruption is a cancer destroying the body of our democratic South Africa. The government has launched probes into alleged corruption in several departments and the SAPS and COSATU has given them our full support. But if we do not investigate the allegations around the arms deal, what confidence can we have that we will be able to probe all the other serious allegations?
These include those contained in a report of the Auditor General to parliament on a performance audit of entities that are connected with government employees and doing business with national departments which was presented to Parliament in August 2009.
That report, from which the General Secretary quoted extensively in his address to the KwaZulu Natal Association of Public Service Lawyers 1st Colloquium on 8 October 2010, painted a bleak picture of the public service that is supposed to caring for the public, but is promoting their own narrow material and financial interests.
The AG's report indicated that level of accumulation and misappropriation of state resources has reached alarming proportions. This corruption is so endemic that departments are not enforcing the laws and officials are exploiting gaps in the laws to win government tenders.
Our revolution is in danger! As more and more join this race to self enrichment, the more the needs of workers and the poor take a back seat. Individualism takes root, then soon we will be en-route to Zimbabwe and other failed revolutions elsewhere in the world. That is why we cannot be seen to be back-peddling on probe into the arms deal.
The full facts must be exposed to the people of South Africa and the world. The innocent must be exonerated and the guilty punished, for enriching themselves at the expense of the people who put their trust in them.
Statement issued by COSATU, October 19 2010
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