DEAR President Jacob Zuma, I am really sorry to bother you with an open letter while you are busy with
more weightier issues such as Zimbabwe, the Commonwealth Heads of Government,
and preparing for the Oslo environment indaba.
I hope despite your busy schedule, you will find a few minutes to read this.
It relates to the issue of corruption that you have been talking about very
strongly since you took office in May.
You see, Mr President, given the information in the public domain around your
relationship with your erstwhile financial advisor, Schabir Shaik, there are
many people who do not take your expression of concern around corruption
seriously.
These people reckon if you have the kind of history you are alleged to have
with Shaik, how would it be possible for you to be anti-corruption. I am not
one of them. I believe that any person is capable of change, for better or
worse, and that your anti-corruption sentiments may actually be genuine.
It is common cause now that many people who wear their ANC membership on
their faces these days join the organisation not to do public good, but to
advance personal interests and self-enrichment. The ANC is aware of this,
hence all the campaigns for the creation of a new cadre whose dedication is
towards public service and not self-enrichment.
This campaign still has to bear fruit, as the many battles being waged
within the ANC at branch, regional, provincial and national levels bear
testimony. In the past weeks you have announced a number of steps to combat
corruption, culminating in the ministerial team announced just over a week
ago.
All these are laudable efforts, but I want to draw your attention to a
situation in Limpopo province that, I think, you could use to silence the sceptics who
think you are all bark and no bite. You see, Mr President, when your
performance evaluation minister Collins Chabane was still in the provincial
government, a structure called the Road Agency Limpopo (RAL) was created
solely to deal with the construction and maintenance of roads in the
province.
Its emergence meant that the departments of public works, and later roads,
which would have been responsible for this work, were relieved of the
responsibility. Effectively, a standalone RAL came about which has done
sterling work in the province, both in the improvement of roads and in
ensuring that tenders are handled appropriately.
In fact, it has been such a model structure that it has been used by other
provinces as a benchmark on how to do it.
Clean audits have followed each other year after year. However several politicians who became responsible for the transport portfolio have wanted to control its work, particularly
its tenders. RAL has a budget of R1.2bn. So virtually each MEC who has
been placed at transport, save for Cassel Mathale who was there for just a
few months, appointed their own board in an effort to control the tender
process.
Presently, a new board was appointed by MEC Pinky Kekana just over two
months ago, headed by Sello Rasethaba. Their first task has been to dismiss
the RAL CEO, Bohani Shibambu. This past week, the rest of the management
team has been told in no uncertain terms that if they do not like the way
the new board was operating, they should resign.
Effectively, we are witnessing the decimation of a structure of government
that has been able to fulfil its tasks. It is clear to anyone watching this
that the next step is to scrap RAL and take its budget to the department
where the political heads would be able to determine its dispersal.
I understand one of the latest board decision was to advertise a tender with
a one day deadline for submission. I have not been able to investigate this
but maybe your ministerial task team can look into this.
Many stories have been written about the RAL issue, especially in City
Press, and it is clear that the provincial political leadership is
determined to go ahead and at least frustrate the work of the organisation
or scrap it completely.
Is it possible that in your determination to root out corruption you could
appoint the ministerial task team to either investigate the shenanigans at
RAL or cause such investigation to happen. That way you would not only prove
your commitment to fighting blatant corruption, but also save an institution
that is a model of service delivery.
I remain
Forever a committed South African
Mathatha Tsedu
- Fin24.com