| Corruption Warning! Nation at Risk! As the nation holds its collective breath the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) decides whether to permanently suspend all 753 criminal charges against ANC President Jacob Zuma. If they do, South Africa will boldly join the ranks of the world’s most corrupt and lawless nations where political expediency overrules the rule of law. South Africa still clings to its rapidly diminishing status as a champion of human rights. However, any hopes of resurrecting past glories were well and truly dashed when government surrendered to Chinese pressure to refuse the Dalai Lama an entry visa to attend a seminar. The South African Government’s close relations with gross human rights abusers like the Chinese regime, Robert Mugabe and Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir have raised many eyebrows. In fact, South Africa’s consistent defense of Robert Mugabe, Omar al-Bashir & the murderous Myanmar regime at the United Nations Security Council inspired the influential Washington Post newspaper to refer to it as a ‘rogue democracy’. Significantly, several key institutions vital to our democratic success are currently in crisis. Parliament used tax-payers’ money to buy up the debtor’s book of one of the travel agencies implicated in the Travelgate fraud scandal specifically to protect its members from prosecution while its suspended secretary Zingile Dingani is being investigated for corruption. The Judiciary seems to be lurching from one crisis to another as 32 of South Africa’s 206 judges are involved in legal battles between Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe and the entire bench of the Constitutional Court. If that wasn’t bad enough, Judge Hlophe is currently being sued for defamation by a colleague while another judicial colleague appears in court on drunken driving charges. The SABC is reeling under record financial losses while its dysfunctional board spends its time and tax-payer money on legal wrangles rather than providing desperately needed direction for the national broadcaster. Ditto our national carrier - South African Airways finally fired its controversial CEO, Khaya Ngakula under a cloud of suspicion while the airline struggles with massive financial losses and an international drug peddling investigation. Mismanagement and corruption is evident everywhere. Entire government departments have failed due to gross incompetence, nepotism and rampant corruption. Following Home Affairs Director General, Mavuso Msimang’s admission that up to 75 percent of managers in his department are untrained, it now emerges that most senior managers in the Department of Health have no managerial experience as well. Apparently, political affiliation supersedes competence, skills and experience. The South African Police Services (SAPS) is currently leaderless as most of its senior officials are suspended and being investigated for corruption. According to a local advert produced by the Mbombela local municipality in Mpumalanga, people intending to provide escort services during the World Cup are welcome to apply for a business license from the municipality. The advert calls for any business that makes "the services of an escort, whether male or female, available to any other person. On Thursday, deputy director general for 2010 in Mpumalanga, Desmond Golding, told delegates at an event aimed at promoting 2010 business opportunities that prostitution and human trafficking are lucrative businesses - despite it being illegal in South Africa. The most dangerous aspect of all of this, however, is the tendency of South African citizens to grow more and more desensitized to mismanagement, incompetence & corruption. Like an unseen cancer, corruption tends to eat away at the gains and potential of a nation until it’s tragically too late. Typically, in emerging democracies like South Africa, the responsibility to expose and tackle corruption ultimately rests with a vigilant public. Those in public office who benefit most from corruption will gloss over reports of mismanagement and misappropriation of public funds to protect their own personal fiefdoms. On 22 April millions of South African citizens will be given the once-in-five year chance to use their vote to send out a clear & unequivocal message that corruption will not be tolerated. Please vote your values and reverse the current trend of rampant and unchecked corruption in government and the private sector. http://www.familypolicyinstitute.org/values_voter.php If South Africa continues down this road the end result is not hard to fathom. Africa is littered with failed nations who refused to take the warnings of corruption seriously. It is up to you and me to heed the warnings of history & redirect the nation’s destiny for the sake of all its people. Vote wisely, the nation’s future depends on it! The Cross set you free – use your cross to set the nation free! Standing Errol Naidoo | 
Posts
