individuals involved in looting public funds are highly respected businessmen, Deputy DDP Sibusiso Magagula has alleged.
He condemned the public’s tendency to glorify individuals involved in looting state funds, labelling them as respected businessmen.
Magagula said some of these individuals have committed serious crimes, including murder and the destruction of legitimate businesses, yet continue to enjoy societal admiration.
“Society respects people with money, even when it’s gained through corruption. Many criminals are held in high regard, which shows that something is deeply wrong,” he said.
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Magagula claimed to have evidence implicating some prominent figures in serious crimes, including killings, yet noted that they remain protected. He stressed that corruption was easily identifiable and urged against pretending otherwise.
Reflecting on stricter anti-corruption measures in other countries, he recalled that in the past, those found guilty of looting public funds faced severe penalties, including execution.
However, he clarified that he does not support such extreme actions, but called for stronger enforcement of the law to effectively combat corruption.
‘Overhaul judiciary’
BDEPUTY Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Sibusiso Magagula has called for the overhaul of the justice system for the country to successfully fight corruption.
Magagula claimed that the judiciary was being run as a one-man show and raised a concern that the justice system was being manipulated with impunity to protect corrupt individuals.
Though he refrained from mentioning names, however, he insisted that it was clear what he meant and who he was talking about.
He said the main problem was the fact that corruption had been embraced as a way of life in the country, defeating all efforts made to fight against it.
“The main problem we face is that the justice system is being manipulated with impunity, leaving the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) handicapped and unable to make arrests or effectively execute its mandate,” he said.
Magagula said the public was engulfed in fear because there were people manipulating the system.
He made these remarks during the stakeholder validation for the National Anti-Corruption Policy held at the Sibane Sami Hotel yesterday.
The policy was drafted by consultant, Dr Gcebekile Dlamini-Nhlabatsi.
The consultant revealed that some of the root causes of corruption include poverty, unemployment, low remuneration in the public service, as well as nepotism and patronage.
Other root causes included weak legal and institutional frameworks, administrative interference as well as a normalised culture of silence, fear and impunity.
She further added that other causes included the abuse of cultural practices, media capture and weak journalism ethics as well as poor procurement and tendering systems, which needed reform and increased oversight.
She said corruption needed to be addressed at an early age and proposed that it should be included in the school curriculum.
She also proposed the establishment of a special court to speed up prosecution of corruption cases in the country.
During the question and answer session, Magagula mentioned that the fact that corruption had been embraced as a way of life in every corner of society was a cause for concern.
“We live with corruption in our societies as it has been culturally embedded into every corner of society,” said the deputy dpp. He argued that the main problem faced was impunity and a manipulated justice system, leading to the ACC not being able to do its jobs without interference.
He further mentioned that the public was engulfed in fear and unable to report any corrupt practices for the prosecution of suspects. Magagula said there were people who manipulated the law and acted as if they were above the laws of the land yet the Constitution was clear that no one was above the law. He said as a nation, there was a need to fight corruption holistically. He added that corrupt individuals were highly organised, stating that he had been working on a highly organised corruption case since 2013 that was yet to see the light of day.
“This is a highly organised case involving multiple highly organised individuals,” he said.
He further called for an overhaul of the judiciary drastic as it might be because all the action that was made was futile even when there was evidence to prove corrupt practices.
“The ACC is unable to take any action even when the evidence is there because the law is being manipulated and any warrants of arrest are opposed or dismissed. “The judiciary is a one-man show and everyone knows who is running the show and there is no need to mention any names,” he said.
He further mentioned that another challenge was that people who were involved in corrupt practices tended to be rewarded by society.
Magagula said this was done through promotion of certain individuals while overlooking the qualified ones who had been delivering in their work.
He said those without experience were promoted and baby-sitted while those with experience and deserving were ill-treated, which he argued was happening across the board.
He said if the country wanted to win the war against corruption, there would be need to start teaching about corruption in Grade Zero up to tertiary level.
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