AN impassioned plea to not let corruption yet again ruin South Africa’s promising growth prospects was made today by Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) president Mxolisi Mgojo at the Joburg Indaba mining conference.
Mgojo – who is a former CEO of Exxaro Resources and a former president of the Minerals Council of South Africa – said the country was fighting a “two-pronged war on how we get our growth up and also how we deal with issues of corruption.”
He attributed a large part of the previous decline in South Africa’s fortunes post 1994 – when the country was looking for annual growth of around 5% – to a decline in morality and values.
Mgojo added, “corruption is a two-sided coin. We like to say that Government is corrupt but who put the money on the table? Who put the money on the table?
“In our pursuit for this growth we are talking about there is an inflection point that even the mining industry has to recognise that it is so important that we ourselves have to look inward.”
Mgojo’s comments received far more forceful support from Malan Scholes director and attorney Hulme Scholes who commented, “If we want this mining industry to grow then corruption is a non-negotiable.
“You cannot have a Minister of Justice with a cloud that hangs over her head. The step-aside rule must be changed to the fuck-off rule”.
That’s a reference to Minister Thembi Simelane who has been the subject of disclosures concerning her involvement in a questionable loan transaction during her tenure as Mayor of Polokwane.
The Democratic Alliance has called for Simelane to “step aside of her own volition” because “continuing in her role without addressing these serious concerns casts a shadow over her capacity to uphold the justice system she is meant to serve”.
Since the formation of a government of national unity, hopes have been raised about the country’s prospects. But corruption continues to be a scourge. Only in June, South Africa’s sports, arts and culture minister Zizi Kodwa appeared in court after being arrested over bribery allegations.
“While the National Anti-Corruption Strategy has been in the works for years, it remains a well-crafted document lacking effective implementation,” said Wayne Duvenhage, president of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse. “It is a broad document with complexity and lacking ownership at the highest levels, which are major stumbling blocks,” he said in an editorial for the Daily Maverick.
