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 Zuma tackles corruption head-on
    November 19 2009 at 07:43AM Get IOL on your
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By Gaye Davis and Bronwyn Gerretsen

With corruption and fraud eating away at the South African public and private sectors, President Jacob Zuma has ordered his cabinet to come up with a plan that will prove the government is committed to stamping out the evil, rather than just making empty promises.

Yesterday, cabinet spokesman Themba Maseko said a team of ministers, headed by Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane, would be expected to present a concrete strategy to deal with the scourge at the January cabinet lekgotla.

This would inform Zuma's second State of the Nation address in February.

'We want to deal decisively with the perception that corruption is on the rise in the country'
"We want to deal decisively with the perception that corruption is on the rise in the country and this committee will be set up to do all that is necessary to ensure decisive action is taken against all those involved in corruption," he said.
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A report by the Public Service Commission on corruption in the public service had been the "tipping point", prompting the decision.

The team will include Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Sicelo Shiceka, Public Service and Administration Minister Richard Baloyi, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, Social Development Minister Edna Molewa and "representatives from the security cluster".

"South Africa takes very strong exception to corruption as this is a matter that has a negative impact on the country's reputation," Maseko said.

The announcement comes a day after Transparency International ranked South Africa 55th out of ' countries in the 2008 Corruptions Perceptions Index.

84 percent were committed by junior and middle management
This week, the Special Investigating Unit reported to MPs on a multimillion-rand trail of kickbacks and procurement irregularities involving prisons contracts.

The year also saw bombshell revelations of how more than 2 000 civil servants rigged tenders valued at R600 million to enrich themselves or their families.


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Showing page 1 of 3 comment pages, 27 total comments
11 Weeks ago Realist wrote :
Zuma you hypocrite. You tried desperatley to stay out of court because of his corrupt relationship with Shabir Snake in the arms deal. If you had set an example as deputy president and not taken those bribes maybe you will be able to tackle this problem head on. Nobody will take you seriously in this issue. How are you going to tackle the very cadres who put you in power? It is Africas culture to be corrupt look at the whole continent...
11 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
Just another useless committee so he can put his cronies in charge and they can get millions a year for doing nothing
11 Weeks ago Umfaan wrote :
Mr Zuma its about time you do something about those fraudsters and corruptive people in your regime. Before we know it this country is bankrupt and your tax payers certainly dont have the money to contribute because we are already overtaxed. Something else came up...when are you banning all forgeiners from this country. They are milking us.
11 Weeks ago xhosa wrote :
if he plans to fight corruption, he should start by handing himself at nearest police station for his corrupt dealings with shaik and others. this guy is the last person to say he will fight corruption, he did corruption and got away with it. why can't other do it
11 Weeks ago Anonymous, Knysna wrote :
Mr Zuma - you have a BIG problem. Unfortunately YOU set the example by showing your people how to do it. You WERE in a corrupt relationship with your friend - he was sent to jail for that. We all knew that the justice would be "raped" as you had the support of the masses and they would bay for blood if you went to jail. Your only way out now would be to put compitent people in positions of power, who I am sure would be watched by your underlings who must learn from them. It is very evident from the ANC led SAA, SABC, Denel, now SADF too, Eskom etc etc. that your cadres are incapable of managing anything more than a wheelbarrow effectively. The one man who could have saved us - proven in industry - was forced to ditch Eskom by your power greedy cadres. The only reason that SARS works (sort of) is that computers are replacing the bungling idiots. Hats off to Manuel and Gordhan - even though they have an impossible task to plug the thieving in your government. God help us.
11 Weeks ago erica wrote :
how will we know that those leading the team to investigate the corruption are not corrupt themselves.
as a taxpayer we would like to see a name and shame system for everyone who misuses the tax-payers money.
we also would like to know what action has been taken against those corrupt persons and that all monies misused to be paid back.
no jail sentence should be imposed, but hard labour at our neglected institutions. our govenment has no money to sustain (because its been stolen).
11 Weeks ago The Grim Reaper. wrote :
Mr.Zuma,

To deal with the perception that corruption is on the increase in South Africa comes across as a very, very lame stab at doing the impossible without any real physical effort being put into the real problem. The fact is that corruption is at horrendously intolerable levels, and at all levels, this including Government and all Government departmental and services levels; and it needs to be physically dealt with, mercilessly. Please stop trying to appease the justice hungry nation with watered-down pea soup; we need solid meat, pap and vegetables; Yes! and GRAVY! Our nation has given you the full mandate to be ruthless in dealing with crime and corruption. Nothing short of this will ever again suffice!!!!
11 Weeks ago Andre wrote :
Corruption, Nepotism, Violence, Anarchy --- These are the fabrics Africans are made of. Why should it be any different here? You can't turn a wolf into a sheep,even if it bleats like a sheep, it is still a wolf. In the end only the wolf believes that it is a sheep and no one, nothing, will ever convice it that it is not a sheep.
11 Weeks ago Anonymous alicat wrote :
They eating our money all of them.Investigation as if they dont already know who the criminals are.Yes they criminals because they stealing our money.Its shocking to see what SA is coming too.
11 Weeks ago Anonymous wrote :
A new form of Corruption Zurruption.....- nudge nudge...wink, wink...
ANC (Allows Nepotism & Corruption
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