Yet another scandal has erupted within a parastatal, with the Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO overspending on his security detail. The process of acquiring this security detail itself is questionable at best.
What should the public do when state entities become dysfunctional as a result of poor or corrupt leadership?
There is no doubt if you are the CEO of a piggy bank such as the RAF you probably need some protection, but why not report it to the State Security Agency?
As the public we put our trust in those who hold public office in the hope they hold that office responsibly and accountably. Someone entrusted with billions of taxpayer rands should be beyond reproach. While Collins Letsoalo may be hailed by some for the war he has waged on big firms who have their hands in the RAF's cookie jar, he should know better. He should follow the correct processes and procedures. Feigning ignorance will just not cut it and neither will fabricating “truths” that are unverifiable.
We the public have a hand in this. For too long we have sat on the sidelines hoping that this time, maybe this time, things will be better, but things stay the same or get worse. Where is our active citizenry? Where is our outrage? Year after year we hear and see the same things, while watching the parastatals and South Africa at large crumble and decay right before our eyes.
All the while, the office bearers shield themselves from everyday South African problems like crime, which none of us can escape, yet the connected and super rich can afford to ignore these problems because they have nine bodyguards keeping them in their safe bubble.
Law enforcement and justice agencies’ inability to conduct investigations, collect evidence and prosecute criminals is also at an all-time low. So unfortunately the graft, ineptness and complete and utter chaos will continue.
With so much wrongdoing happening in our state organs, where do we start? When shall we start? Or do we just submit and hope the sky won't fall tomorrow?
Ranting is not going to change anything and neither will degenerating into racial profiling and bigotry. Only our collective voice and collective action to hold government accountable will work. We need active citizens to stem the tide through the ballot and being involved as organised communities.
With so much wrongdoing happening in our state organs, where do we start? When shall we start? Or do we just submit and hope the sky won't fall tomorrow?
The RAF has been synonymous with corruption generally. Whether it is corrupt law firms trying to milk the state dry or irregularities being cited by the auditor-general's office, the fund is generally riddled with dubious cases. Perhaps if we had held others before Letsoalo accountable, we would not be facing yet another challenge with a senior official in a state-operated enterprise. If the RAF is not bleeding money through questionable claims, it is losing money internally, enabled by processes that are ignored completely.
The RAF is in a dire situation and adding more costs to the financial problems is not the way to go about it, especially if you already have an armoured BMW X5. For a leader to empathise with those he or she is responsible to, they must be within proximity of those people and their everyday situations.
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