Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
26 July 2024 | 23:50 SAST
3-minute read

The Public Procurement Bill that was recently signed into law has been met with mixed reactions. The Act aims to address weaknesses in the procurement of goods and services by organs of state that have in the past enabled various degrees of corruption, including state capture.

The Act, which applies to all public entities, other entities such as the Chapter 9 organisations, Parliament and all three tiers of government- municipal, provincial and national- ought to work well in conjunction with other finance management and anti-corruption legislation in South Africa.

While the Act will allow for greater oversight and will help to tighten the way public money can be spent, Research Director Angelo Fick from the Auwal Socioeconomic Research Institute (ASRI), says that it is not all-encompassing and falls short in several ways.

Speaking on Radio Islam International, Fick says, “It will continue to allow people who are relatives of existing politicians to do business with them. And we know that that is one of the avenues through which corruption happens.”

Another challenge is implementation, which Fick says is difficult when public servants do not abide by the rules and laws in place.

The Act will enable the Finance Ministry to ensure that there is no corruption, mal-administration and the miss-spending of funds, but this will require greater oversight from parliamentarians and members of legislatures.

Fick also discussed the persistence of racism in schools, such as the recent case at the Pretoria High School for Girls, where 12 learners were suspended after allegations of racism surfaced.

“I think it’s tragic that the youngest people in this country, who are now the majority, have to do the work that their parents and grandparents were tasked to do in 1994, which is to dismantle not just the legislative framework, policy framework of the apartheid and colonial states, but actually to build a state that goes against those ethos, and build a society that is human rights-centred, focused on people’s dignity. I think the society has failed,” Fick said.

He emphasises the role of the Department of Basic Education and other state departments in eradicating racism from society by introducing an anti-racist culture.

The discussion then focused on calls for Johannesburg’s mayor to resign, which is the latest in a series of political woes that have plagued Johannesburg in the last eight years. Fick attributes the problem to failed coalition politics at the municipal level and the influence of issues in other municipalities on the city’s governance.

“Dynamics in Ekurhuleni, dynamics in Tshwane, dynamics now elsewhere in the country at national level have affected how it is that Johannesburg is governed. We’ve had ten mayors since 2016. This is unacceptable because this does not result in stability in historical memory,” Fick notes.

Fick underscored the failure of selecting a mayor from a minority party, as in the case of Johannesburg’s previous two leaders, who have proven unable to fulfil the needs of the city’s inhabitants.

“I think what we have in South Africa is a moment over the next 10 years to work towards electoral reform for greater accountability, that parties are not just accountable to their party members, but that those people who are elected by the voters should be at greater accountability to us as voters,” Fick says.

The final point of discussion on Radio Islam’s ASRI Report was the ongoing saga of the ANC’s disciplinary action against Jacob Zuma and the resignation of Zizi Kodwa, which Fick says highlights the party’s enduring internal chaos over the past 12-14 years.

Despite having mechanisms like the step-aside rule and a disciplinary committee, the ANC has struggled to enforce discipline, as evidenced by Kodwa’s swift rise and resignation.

Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula’s promise of party discipline in 2022 has yet to materialise effectively. The ANC’s failure to manage Zuma’s exit underscores its inability to control the leaders it once fiercely defended, leading to internal disarray that has contributed to the party’s loss of voter support and complicated coalition agreements.

This internal chaos poses a significant challenge for the ANC as it prepares for its next elective conference and navigates its role in the government of national unity.

Listen to the ASRI Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Habib Bobat.