Johannesburg – South Africa has one deferred dream; the honest politician and upright government official.
There is no public project in the country, however big or small, that would stand up to a rigorous audit because someone would have pilfered money somewhere.
Hell, our elected criminals even loot in the name of radical economic empowerment, abusing a genuine grievance in the black community, which is economic inclusion.
Some naively thought amasela will take a step back from their rotten ways when Covid-19 visited our shores. Covid-19 will go into the history books as one of the deadliest pandemics of the 21st century.
But, here at home, it will be a sad reminder that greed and corruption know no boundaries. A lot has changed in our beautiful land since Health Minister Zweli Mkhize was the bearer of bad news when he confirmed the first case of Covid-19 in the republic, just over a year ago, yet much more has remained uncomfortably static.
The charlatans who have made milking the state’s coffers the norm have gone about their business. Forget about the first and second wave of the deadly virus for a minute, as hard as that may be.
The most egregious wave was corruption- related incidents linked Covid-19 procurement. The country’s response to Covid-19 has seen breaches of anti-corruption standards such as cutting corners in procurement processes, or persons in power taking advantage of the crisis to increase their private benefits, a familiar South African story.
These are acts that make one question the very humanity of the scoundrels involved in stealing from our people.
The lessons emerging from Covid-19 call for deep reflection on the imperative of revitalising the role of the state in governance.
Without a capable, accountable, moral and caring government, dealing with contemporary and emerging challenges such as pandemics will remain a pipe dream.
American author Robert Brookes was correct when he said corruption is repulsive and deserves the scorn and hatred which all straightforward folk feel for it.
As much as Covid-19 has reminded us of the worst of human instincts, it has also amplified the humanity that is in noble hearts. As a nation, we must not lose sight of the many good and brave compatriots who exhibited the best of humanity of the past year.
There will be another tale told by the future generations; a story of compatriots who saved the very soul of the republic.
A mention will be made of Gift of the Givers, frontline workers who spared no ounce of strength to serve their fellow human beings with little financial reward.
To these brave South Africans we owe a lot of gratitude.
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