Time and time again we have seen a blind eye being turned to corruption, so why should we believe the president when he says he is undertaking to fight the cancer, writes Mandy Wiener. 

Over the past week, the president has stood up and addressed the nation, he has written to us from his desk and he has undertaken to fight tender corruption involving his own government. He has signed a proclamation giving the Special Investigating Unit powers to go after these tenderpreneurs.

In his latest missive to the country, Ramaphosa acknowledged the problem and what needs to be done to end it.

"We will not allow public funds hard-earned by loyal taxpayers or donations by patriotic companies and individuals and the international community to vanish down a black hole of corruption. Those found to have broken the law to enrich themselves through this crisis will not get to enjoy their spoils, regardless of who they are or with whom they may be connected," wrote the president.

While I thank you for your candid, honest approach and your shock and dismay at the situation, with the greatest respect Mr President, why the hell should we believe you?

This fresh wave of tender corruption should really not come as a great surprise to us. We know how this game has played and how this movie ends. As a country, we have years of experience with it.

Let's look at the evidence, shall we?

Maybe we can play a game. Can you name all the senior government officials who have been successfully prosecuted and convicted of corruption?

Tony Yengeni!

So, in the 21 years since allegations first emerged of irregularities in the government's multibillion rand arms procurement deal, just one senior official was convicted.

Yengeni entered into a plea agreement with the State and was sentenced to four years in prison, although he served just four months behind bars before being paroled.

If you remember, he was carried to the prison gates aloft, like a champion, on the shoulders of his supporters. He remains a member of the ANC NEC and, at one point, even headed their political school.

Ok, who else can you think of?

The Travelgate MPs!

Of the almost 80 MPs implicated in the scandal, which involved them apparently misusing travel vouchers to go on jaunts unrelated to their work, only six were convicted with fines, but none did actual jail time.

Parliament had to write off the financial loss of R12 million and most of those who pleaded guilty were rewarded with promotion and re-elected.

One of the worst offenders was Bathabile Dlamini, who pleaded guilty to fraud after claiming benefits amounting to R254 000. She was sentenced to a fine or imprisonment, but then went on to become Minister of Social Development. Just a smallanyana skeleton for her.

There's John Block? That's not a bad example, actually.

The former provincial head of the ANC in the Northern Cape was convicted of corruption and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. A court found that he received payments in exchange for leasing agreements.

He began serving his jail term in 2018, almost 12 years after the scandal first broke. Block is still in prison, although there were media reports that he would be released as part of a Covid parole process. This, however, has been denied.

Then, of course, there is Jackie Selebi, former ANC NEC member and national police commissioner. He was convicted of taking bribes and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He served 229 days in jail, most of those in a hospital wing, before being released on medical parole.

Can you think of any other convictions of high ranking government officials for corruption?

I can't.

Despite reams of evidence, a hard drive full of insider emails and the brave testimony of whistleblowers, not one single person has been convicted of corruption relating to the state capture era.

Of course, we know why.

There has been a history of cronyism and protection, but there's also been a destruction of the criminal justice system and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

In the 2018/2019 annual report of the NPA, we can see how ineffective prosecutors have been at getting those who plunder government funds behind bars.

In the 2018/19 financial year, the NPA convicted only 210 state officials on corruption charges. It also managed to convict just 17 people in the private sector of corruption involving more than R5 million.

And as you can see in the graph below, the past decade has hardly been better.

So when the president and the ANC tell us that tender corruption won't be tolerated and there must be consequences for this despicable abuse of power, why should we believe them?

We know what happens when senior government officials are implicated in corruption. They are given a 'leave of absence' and pushed aside for a while until things 'cool down'.

As political analyst Xolani Dube told me recently, this leave of absence is 'like a naughty corner, it will not affect their pockets'. There are rarely real consequences.

Once the heat is off and the public's attention shifts elsewhere, the tainted will re-emerge and be spat out by the washing machine of politics, to fill a new government position. Their careers are never truly over.

They will be given a role as a chair of some or other committee in Parliament or become a special advisor.

Better yet, an ambassador to some unremarkable country.

If you were a government official or a senior office bearer, none of this would serve as a deterrent to you. There is hardly fear associated with being caught out.

The prospect of a criminal record or even jail time is slim. It really is worth the gamble and taking your chances.

This is a government and a party with a history of protecting the tarnished within their ranks.

History has shown us this time and time again.

So, unfortunately, Mr President, until we see prosecutions and convictions and, until we see the ANC truly acting against its own, we just can't believe you.

* From next week, Mandy Wiener's column will be published as part of News24's new subscription service at R75 per month. You will be able to subscribe from Saturday (8 August). If you have any questions about our subscriptions, at feedback@news24.com.

 - Mandy Wiener is a journalist and author and the host of the Midday Report on 702.

*Want to respond to the columnist? Send your letter or article to opinions@news24.com with your name, profile picture, contact details and location. We encourage a diversity of voices and views in our readers' submissions and reserve the right not to publish any and all submissions received.

Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.