CHARLES MOLELE
THE Hawks finally showed some teeth this week when the country’s elite crime-busting unit arrested seven high-profile individuals linked to the controversial R255m Free State asbestos project.
The crime fighting unit, in a joint operation with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), led the dramatic arrests of businessman Edwin Sodi, former high-ranking government officials, a former mayor and a former MEC.
And in a surprise turn of events, former ANC MP Vincent Smith handed himself over to the police in Alberton on Thursday, appeared in the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, and was granted R 30 000 bail, for allegedly receiving bribes from Bosasa, now known as African Global Operations.
The arrests appear to be in line with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s pledge to stamp out corruption.
But opposition parties are not persuaded that the dramatic arrests will be a turning point in the fight against corruption as high-ranking individuals, most notably ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule, ANC treasurer general Paul Mashatile, Deputy Minister of State Security Zizi Kodwa, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi and Deputy Minister of Communications Pinkie Kekana were not charged along with others.
Sodi, the businessman who landed himself the R255m contract, testified at the Zondo Commission this week that he made several payments to the ANC and its officials including Mashatile, Mkhize, Kodwa, Nxesi, Kekana and Mkhize.
“These are the names that need to appear on the Hawks case files and NPA charge sheets. Throwing a handful of small fry under the bus cannot buy the big fish protection from investigation and prosecution. South Africans will not be placated with token arrests while all the big name ANC politicians remain untouchable,” said DA’s interim leader John Steenhuisen on Thursday.
“The only way to stop this rot is to cut it out entirely. That means charging, prosecuting and jailing everyone involved, even if this removes half the ruling party’s top structures.”
Steenhuisen said it is common knowledge that Bosasa bribes were not only paid to Smith, and “that senior ANC cadres such as Dudu Myeni, Nomvula Mokonyane and Mining Minister Gwede Mantashe were also beneficiaries of the scandal. Even the President and his son received suspicious payments from this company mired in government corruption. None of these people should be above the law.”
Steenhuisen added: “From the Arms Deal to Nkandla and the Gupta landing at Waterkloof, we have only ever seen scapegoats take the fall for their political bosses. And although every new NPA head over the years has promised that they will be the one who will follow the rot all the way to the top, we are yet to see this happen. This has led to a breakdown in trust in our institutions responsible for fighting corruption.”
Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF) leader Julius Malema also called for ‘real’ senior politicians to be arrested in the Bosasa probes.
Malema also took issue with media reports referring to Smith as a ‘senior’ ANC official.
“Current and former ministers, they are the ones who must be arrested and be referred to as senior politicians, not some deflection,” said Malema.
The arrests by the Hawks also comes in a week that Ramaphosa came under heavy for criticism for failing to take action against the Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for transporting a senior ANC delegation to Zimbabwe in a South African Air Force jet.
Analysts said, on the other hand, said rooting out corruption will take systematic reforms, not just high profile arrests.
Meanwhile, Inside Politics also understands that some ANC leaders are unhappy with the government’s approach to fighting corruption, saying Hollywood-style arrests of high-level officials this week were being used as a political tool and will come back to haunt Ramaphosa’s administration.
(COMPILED BY INSIDE POLITICS STAFF)
