[imagesource: Gallo Images/Sowetan/Esa Alexander]

When Cyril Ramaphosa took over as president, many South Africans wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Taking over a political party like the ANC, especially when it was in the hands of a corrupt leader like Jacob Zuma and his cronies for eight years, is no easy task.

It has become increasingly apparent over the years that keeping the party in line means making concessions that allow certain members to do as they please, often at the expense of the country.

He seems to want to correct things, declaring in a written address to the nation that, in the wake of allegations that government affiliates and officials have been cashing in on the pandemic, measures had been put in place to “investigate and prosecute COVID-related corruption” and, indeed, corruption more broadly.

Ramaphosa has also pushed to stop ANC leaders from allowing their family members to do business with the state, saying that regulations, like the annual financial disclosure which discourages public servants doing business with the state, had not been enough to curb corruption.

He also pointed out that it created a culture and public perception of nepotism, favouritism and abuse.

Predictably, this was met with anger and pushback from the ANC’s national executive committee.

At the same time, the COVID-related corruption is seemingly the last straw for South Africans who are struggling to put their faith in the president’s promises to “call out the hyenas” – the scavengers in government and business “circling wounded prey” in the midst of a global crisis.

This lack of faith has a lot to do with the seemingly endless corruption scandals which have emerged since 1996, some small, some large, the handling of which has routinely shown a lack of control and accountability within the ruling party.

The Daily Maverick compiled the big corruption scandals from 1996 to 2020 (so far).

If you’re struggling to read the infographic below, click on it for a larger version:

In short, the ANC and the criminal justice system have failed to secure full accountability in 24 of 25 corruption “mega scandals”.

Under Ramaphosa’s term, three major scandals have played out in connection with COVID-19 relief money.

His government has also failed to secure a single act of substantive justice against corruption, with the exception of a single court appearance by key VBS executives, all of whom are now out on bail.

In only one case [since 1996] can you assess for justice and full accountability and that is in the bribery case between businessman Glenn Agliotti and the late and former national police commissioner Jackie Selebi.

In three other cases – Oilgate 2 (the illegal sale of the country’s oil reserves), the Amigos case (the purchase of water purifiers from Uruguayan businessman Gaston Savoi) and in VBS bank, there has been partial accountability.

If you really want to get your blood boiling, watch Carte Blanche’s look into the VBS scandal.

Eating public health money has touched a public nerve, but so should the allegations against the chief water adviser Thami ka Plaatjie, because it reveals how water tanker contract corruption has also recently emerged.

Water provision is a key part of Covid-19 relief because without water you can’t wash your hands or run clinics and hospitals.

You can read the full Daily Maverick article for a further breakdown.

Shocking is too soft a word to describe what we’re facing, and have been facing for a while now.

As poverty rates increase, jobs are lost, education suffers, and we struggle to get a handle on a deadly virus with public sentiment over the handling of the crisis overwhelmingly negative, I think it’s safe to say that South Africans have had enough.

If Ramaphosa fails to deliver, this will not end well.

[source:dailymaverick]