Former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has expressed concern that corruption in the country remains high despite long standing efforts to address it for more than 30 years.
Zondo was participating at the two-day South African Council of Churches’ anti-corruption conference held in Johannesburg.
He began his address by calling for continued collaboration between the various organs of state and civic organisations towards efforts of fighting corruption in the country.
Zondo however said these efforts will be fruitless without decisive law enforcement agencies composed of the Hawks, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“We cannot talk about intensifying or strengthening our fight against corruption or making sure that our fight against corruption is effective without a police force that is able to do its job,” said Zondo.
He also criticised the lack of arrests made in cases that were brought by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) board to the Hawks.
The retired Judge concluded by calling on the NPA to get its house in order after taking numerous major blows in high profile cases.
“The NPA is critically important in the fight against corruption, and we cannot afford to have a weak NPA that cannot do its job.
It is also important that the people at the NPA throughout the country, the prosecutors be people of integrity.
When they decide to charge someone with corruption, we must know that it has nothing to do with anything except a breach of the law.
When they say they are withdrawing charges, we must know that it is because, in good faith, they believe they should be withdrawn,” Zondo explained.
The various stakeholders who attended the conference comprising the Auditor General, Tsakani Maluleke and the Public Protector, Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka among others, echoed Zondo’s sentiments and pledged their support towards ending corruption in the country.
