Note to Editors: These remarks were delivered by ActionSA Member of Parliament, Dereleen James MP, at the announcement of ActionSA’s Zero Tolerance Corruption Bill.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
ActionSA’s Zero Tolerance Corruption Bill has been in development for more than a year as part of our broader Anti-Corruption Reform Package. It flows directly from our policy commitment to declare corruption Public Enemy Number One in South Africa.
But this Bill is also deeply personal.
It is shaped by what I have witnessed since arriving in Parliament, and by the stories I hear from ordinary South Africans whose lives are being destroyed by the consequences of corruption.
The destruction caused by corruption is not some distant or abstract concept.
Every year, between R27 billion and R100 billion is stolen through corruption in South Africa.
And the truth is this:
As South Africans, we are simply not angry enough.
Because when corruption steals billions, it is our communities that pay the price.
When I visit police stations in the Cape Flats, and there is only one working police vehicle to serve tens of thousands of residents while gangs terrorise communities: that is the consequence of corruption.
When the National Drug Master Plan is allocated only a few million rand to fight the devastating scourge of addiction tearing families apart across our country: that too is the consequence of corruption.
When there are not enough social workers to rescue children from places like Pella Pos and the clutches of gangsterism: that is the direct result of corruption.
We have created a culture that rewards corruption instead of punishing it.
I have witnessed this first-hand in the Ad Hoc Committee investigating the allegations made by Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
For months, witness after witness has come before us.
They swagger into the committee room as if they are untouchable.
With such arrogance.
With such impunity.
And when individuals accused of corruption appear before this committee they are greeted by MPs as “heroes” and “Grootman”.
And I must be honest, it makes me sick.
These are people who have helped destroy the South African Police Service, the very institution meant to protect our people.
They steal without fear.
They lie without remorse.
And as these long months of hearings have dragged on, my anger has continued to boil.
That is why this Bill is so important.
Because right now there is no fear of consequences.
People commit corruption openly because they know that in many cases nothing will happen to them.
So kan dit nie aangaan nie.
South Africa has developed a culture of corruption and impunity, and that culture must be eradicated from the very top all the way to the bottom.
This Bill represents ActionSA’s second legislative strike in our sustained war against corruption.
At its core, this Bill does three critical things.
First, it introduces mandatory minimum sentences for corruption something South Africa has never had before.
These sentences are linked to the level of court in which the case is tried:
- For cases tried in Magistrates’ Courts — a minimum sentence of 5 years.
- For cases tried in Regional Courts — a minimum sentence of 15 years.
- And for cases tried in the High Courts — a minimum sentence of 18 years.
This sends a clear message:
Corruption will no longer be treated lightly.
Second, the Bill doubles the fine for those who fail to disclose that they have been blacklisted raising it to R500,000 and increases the possible prison sentence from three years to five years.
Third, the Bill lowers the reporting threshold for fraud and forgery from R100 000 to R30 000, placing a stronger obligation on accounting officers to report corruption before it grows into massive scandals.
In short, this Bill will help end the era of impunity.
It will ensure that the culture of corruption paying finally comes to an end.
For me, it is an honour and a privilege to take up this fight.
For the residents of the Cape Flats who call the police and must wait hours for a van that never comes.
For those battling addiction who are left without the support they desperately need.
For the children trapped in places like Pella Pos, waiting for help that never arrives.
And for the millions of South Africans who simply want to see those who steal from the public held accountable and placed behind bars in orange overalls where they belong.
But we cannot win this fight alone.
We call on every South African who stands against corruption to support this Bill by submitting their comments in support.
Visit www.actionsa.org.za/bills and make your voice heard.
Together, we can send a message that will echo through every corridor of power in this country:
In South Africa, corruption will no longer pay.
And if you steal from the people of this country — you will rot in jail!
No excuses.
No protection.
No more impunity.
Enough is enough.
ActionSA Introduces Zero Tolerance Corruption Bill to End Impunity for the Corrupt
Note to Editors: These remarks were delivered by ActionSA Member of Parliament, Dereleen James MP, at the announcement of ActionSA’s Zero Tolerance Corruption Bill.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
ActionSA’s Zero Tolerance Corruption Bill has been in development for more than a year as part of our broader Anti-Corruption Reform Package. It flows directly from our policy commitment to declare corruption Public Enemy Number One in South Africa.
But this Bill is also deeply personal.
It is shaped by what I have witnessed since arriving in Parliament, and by the stories I hear from ordinary South Africans whose lives are being destroyed by the consequences of corruption.
The destruction caused by corruption is not some distant or abstract concept.
Every year, between R27 billion and R100 billion is stolen through corruption in South Africa.
And the truth is this:
As South Africans, we are simply not angry enough.
Because when corruption steals billions, it is our communities that pay the price.
When I visit police stations in the Cape Flats, and there is only one working police vehicle to serve tens of thousands of residents while gangs terrorise communities: that is the consequence of corruption.
When the National Drug Master Plan is allocated only a few million rand to fight the devastating scourge of addiction tearing families apart across our country: that too is the consequence of corruption.
When there are not enough social workers to rescue children from places like Pella Pos and the clutches of gangsterism: that is the direct result of corruption.
We have created a culture that rewards corruption instead of punishing it.
I have witnessed this first-hand in the Ad Hoc Committee investigating the allegations made by Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
For months, witness after witness has come before us.
They swagger into the committee room as if they are untouchable.
With such arrogance.
With such impunity.
And when individuals accused of corruption appear before this committee they are greeted by MPs as “heroes” and “Grootman”.
And I must be honest, it makes me sick.
These are people who have helped destroy the South African Police Service, the very institution meant to protect our people.
They steal without fear.
They lie without remorse.
And as these long months of hearings have dragged on, my anger has continued to boil.
That is why this Bill is so important.
Because right now there is no fear of consequences.
People commit corruption openly because they know that in many cases nothing will happen to them.
So kan dit nie aangaan nie.
South Africa has developed a culture of corruption and impunity, and that culture must be eradicated from the very top all the way to the bottom.
This Bill represents ActionSA’s second legislative strike in our sustained war against corruption.
At its core, this Bill does three critical things.
First, it introduces mandatory minimum sentences for corruption something South Africa has never had before.
These sentences are linked to the level of court in which the case is tried:
This sends a clear message:
Corruption will no longer be treated lightly.
Second, the Bill doubles the fine for those who fail to disclose that they have been blacklisted raising it to R500,000 and increases the possible prison sentence from three years to five years.
Third, the Bill lowers the reporting threshold for fraud and forgery from R100 000 to R30 000, placing a stronger obligation on accounting officers to report corruption before it grows into massive scandals.
In short, this Bill will help end the era of impunity.
It will ensure that the culture of corruption paying finally comes to an end.
For me, it is an honour and a privilege to take up this fight.
For the residents of the Cape Flats who call the police and must wait hours for a van that never comes.
For those battling addiction who are left without the support they desperately need.
For the children trapped in places like Pella Pos, waiting for help that never arrives.
And for the millions of South Africans who simply want to see those who steal from the public held accountable and placed behind bars in orange overalls where they belong.
But we cannot win this fight alone.
We call on every South African who stands against corruption to support this Bill by submitting their comments in support.
Visit www.actionsa.org.za/bills and make your voice heard.
Together, we can send a message that will echo through every corridor of power in this country:
In South Africa, corruption will no longer pay.
And if you steal from the people of this country — you will rot in jail!
No excuses.
No protection.
No more impunity.
Enough is enough.