The arrest on Friday of former Johannesburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda for allegedly scamming funeral cover policy clients in Soweto around 2011 will come as a relief for many.
Gwamanda, who used to run a funeral policy company called Ithemba Lama Afrika, reportedly disappeared into thin air with people’s money until one day the victims of his alleged crimes saw him on television pontificating about City of Joburg issues as a mayor. While they were appalled that such a crook made it past the city’s vetting system, some believed he was now clothed in political power and would likely be untouchable.
Before Gwamanda, former ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe also made an undignified appearance before the courts, claiming he earned a mere R25,000 a month and thus could not afford exorbitant bail. He is accused of being one of the seven people who robbed almost 60 waste pickers in the city of Ekurhuleni of tuk-tuks meant for waste picking.
The company was supposed to deliver 200 tuk-tuks, but the vehicles never made it to the intended beneficiaries. Mabe was released on R30,000 bail.
Further, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the former speaker in the national assembly, was also in the dock in a matter relating to her time as defence minister. She is accused of 12 counts of corruption and one of money laundering after she allegedly benefited from kickbacks from a contract during her tenure.
Between the end of 2016 and July 2019, Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly asked for a cash payment of R4.5m and a wig from businesswoman Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu is a director of logistics company Umkhombe Marine, which does business with the South African National Defence Force.
Other politicians, such as the former sport, arts and culture minister Zizi Kodwa, former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule and former health department communications officer Popo Maja are also in the courts for corruption, among other charges.
On the surface, the courts seem suffused with greedy politicians caught with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar. While we welcome the move to arrest corrupt leaders, we would also encourage that these cases be thoroughly investigated to ensure successful prosecutions.
However, we wonder whether we are witnessing the beginning of action being taken against the corrupt regardless of their positions, or is this yet another false hope? Are these the only political thugs, or are they just the initial low-hanging fruit? When will the many who are implicated in the capture of the state have their day in court? Are the prosecutors waiting for them to be out of office like Gwamanda, Kodwa and Mapisa-Nqakula, before they are arrested?
When those who hold important positions in society are held to account for their greed and corruption through the legal system, it becomes a sign of democracy at work.
We are told that the wheels of justice turn slowly, but that they grind “exceedingly” fine. We hope this will be the case with the matters brought to our courts, especially over the ransacking and mismanagement of public funds.
The ways corruption is undertaken in South Africa are comical to say the least, and would be funny if it did not have such an obvious detrimental effect on the poor.
The risk of an accountability deficit is that creates an impression for people on the ground that those who commit crimes can get away with them. High profile people must also be held accountable.
We appreciate that arrests on their own do not mean much until they're followed up with successful prosecutions. We appeal to authorities to leave no stone unturned to ensure those with a stench of corruption face the full might of the law.
Nelson Mandela and other prominent leaders who fought for the democracy we are now enjoying spent years in prison for the right reasons — to liberate people — not to steal from them. Our country yearns for principled leaders. It only requires discipline and a passion to serve with honesty and diligence. Is that too much to ask?
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