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South Africa makes international news again - corruption this time
South Africa was featured in quite a few very lengthy articles recently in some major media in the USA, most notably the New York Times. The theme of the articles has been that corruption is rampant in South Africa and more needs to be done about it. I think South Africa is in a very positive place at the moment, and they should heed these warnings and make sure that they send out a message to all of those involved over the last 5 years or so, maybe more, on what has been going on with government contracts and business, etc, and deal with it appropriately. One of the problems that the authorities will face is that the ranks of the prosecutors have been stripped in many respects and a lot of very talented people have been lost to the prosecuting authorities due to the shenanigans of the previous administration. They wanted weaker prosecuting authorities and have done a lot of damage to those institutions as well as to SARS. That is a pity, because SARS has been a major success story in the new South Africa and our courts and prosecutors have repeatedly stood up over the years and shown how independent they are. We can really be proud of the judiciary in South Africa – there are many countries, not just in Africa, but all over the world, where the judiciary has not stood up to an all powerful President, but they did in South Africa. The bottom line to me is that you need to give more money to the Department of Justice – prosecutors need to be paid more, more prosecutors need to be hired and we also need more Judges. Give the Department of Justice the money and staff it needs and also focus of course on the investigation of these crimes by the police and corruption will be stamped out. The main thing that allows corruption is when people believe they can get away with it and at the moment in South Africa people believe they can get away with anything and unfortunately, most of the time we cannot argue that that is true. Until that changes, corruption will continue to run rampant. I don’t think it can happen overnight, but it can be done if the right resources are given to the Department of Justice.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Monday 21-May-18
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Jadine Esterhuizen said:
on Tuesday 07-Aug-18 07:47 AM
As a country and there are a few honest people in government (DOJ) who have adopted a no nonsense policy to root out corruption whether it be in their own office because of how the world sees South Africa when it comes to corruption.
Ashleigh said:
on Friday 08-Jun-18 04:12 PM
Corruption: Dishonest or Fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery. In other words, ones self gain and hence why things are falling apart quite rapidly.
Prishani said:
on Friday 08-Jun-18 01:54 PM
I think the fact that our former president is currently battling a court case surrounding allegations of corruption shows that in some way we are trying to deal with corruption. I firmly believe that if an example is made of one or two culprits we will hopefully start seeing some improvements.
Tersia said:
on Wednesday 06-Jun-18 03:12 PM
It's actually not true that everyone can get away with anything because that rule is only applicable to certain people in this country. Money talks and criminals walk. Maybe if that would also start to change and we all get treated as equals this country would do better. This country should concentrate more on fixing the problems that we are currently facing and stop trying to come up with new ideas for this and that which at the end of the day is creating more problems and issues.
Michelle said:
on Wednesday 06-Jun-18 02:01 PM
It’s very interesting to hear what outlanders and tourist have to say about South Africa. And I think in the last few years it got more negative because of everything that happened. I also believe it will take a lot for other countries to do business with us again. But it doesn`t matter I will always stay a proud South African..
Natasha said:
on Friday 01-Jun-18 10:37 AM
I think they must start doing the right thing and concentrate on what is important if they concentrate on what is important and stop concentrating on what isn't alot of thing will go better in South Africa the government only concentrates on the things that is not important at all
Zindy said:
on Friday 01-Jun-18 07:46 AM
I think South Africa has always been know for corruption. Not meaning it in a bad sense but if you look all over social media and news how the pics and videos spread with cops being bribed ect.Guess it happens everywhere but SA has always had a reputation.
Bianca N said:
on Thursday 31-May-18 04:00 PM
I think that although resources are limited, if the government can control their spending an focus it on the more important things, there should be a way to provide the Department of Justice with enough resources to appoint more prosecutors and pay them enough.
Tamaryn said:
on Wednesday 30-May-18 04:57 PM
The Department of Justice needs a lot more funding- a large portion of which should also go towards proper training and resources. I do not understand why their budget is so limited, but what I do know is that with less corruption and wasted government spending there will be more funds in the pot to be allocated to the Department of Justice.
Liz said:
on Wednesday 30-May-18 03:32 PM
I strongly agree with this, if offenders know that they will not be prosecuted they will continue to commit these offences and therefore the department responsible for bringing them to book should be sufficiently funded. Our current president has gotten off to a good start let us hope this continues.
Jadine Richards said:
on Wednesday 30-May-18 09:56 AM
Africa not just South Africa has a deep seeded struggle with corruption. Of course it happens all the world but Africa in particular has issues. What is encouraging is that South Africans have started to fight against corruption in particular. We are always fighting for everything else i.e service delivery, jobs etc but if we can get rid of the corruption then all these other issues will disappear.
Thabitha said:
on Friday 25-May-18 07:57 AM
We all see that South Africa is changing but we still have a long way to go its something that will never happen overnight and I strongly believe that one day South Africa will be a better country.
Megan said:
on Thursday 24-May-18 04:49 PM
I agree that change is constantly happening, the money needs to be directed to the correct departments and greed needs to cease. Even though it feels as though its gotten to a point of no return, we can only hope for the best.
Michelle D said:
on Thursday 24-May-18 08:25 AM
One of Cyril Ramaphosa's initial goals in his presidency is to mitigate corruption amongst governmental institutions. This is a HUGE task because of the previous regime. He is off to a strong start though, encouraging the premier of the North West to step down after allegations of corruption, initiating an inquiry into SARS. Hopefully the other state institutions, such as the Department of Justice are to be scrutinized next. Let's just hope Cyril's strong start continues.
Mathilda Du Preez said:
on Wednesday 23-May-18 11:21 AM
I agree with Angelique as I also do not have confidence in any of our government institutions
I just feel we are going in circles the people who are "in charge" of the specific institutions are supposed to be a role model but they are usually the ones who are found guilty of corruption
We need leaders who want to improve our current situation and not just here to improve their bank balance
Fikile said:
on Monday 21-May-18 03:03 PM
The is a lot that is happening in South Africa and it is all under people that don't think about the other people and the reputation of state, we need to be more out the and think about how we can change and improve. I feel like South Africa is always on the wrong foot and so far the people that need to change keep being worse and turning other people to be like them, we need change
Alexis said:
on Monday 21-May-18 02:57 PM
I feel that change is happening and will happen. It will just take some time considering how much damage has happened already. Corruption in this country is rife and I sometimes think that an example needs to be shown to one or a few in order to tell the people it will not be tolerated anymore... But then there are also many other issues that need to be sorted out as well
Angelique said:
on Monday 21-May-18 12:26 PM
I do not feel very confident or positive about any of our government institutions. No matter what I just feel that people are human and greedy.People will always want more and as such corruption will always be a thing. I do agree however that the Department of Justice needs to be given more resources and more accountability and accounting for everything needs to take place.
Nina said:
on Monday 21-May-18 08:47 AM
I definitely agree that something should be done about the trianing of our prosecutors and the hiring process. I have a friend that finished her law studies in 2014 and since then she has been trying to get into the prosecutor program, but since 2015, they have not taken in any new trainee prosecutors. This will obviously lead to major shortage in a few years time, and the fact that prosecutors do not get paid well, does not help the situation at all.
Jessica Apfel said:
on Monday 21-May-18 08:28 AM
I must agree that the Judiciary within our country remains a beacon of light and hope. With the likes of Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng ensuring that the 'Top Dogs' are brought to book and with the removal of Shaun Abrahams or rather 'Shaun the Sheep', we can have faith that our Judiciary will continue to preserve our democratic ideals.
brumilde said:
on Monday 21-May-18 07:49 AM
I think this suggestion is a viable solution and i do agree it wont happen overnight but this is very beneficial to future generations. But it all comes down to greediness and wanting more and more. Black hawks should be more involved but the problem with giving someone to much power is that they tend to abuse it .
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
