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The Congress of the People is gravely concerned about the rampant corruption that has plagued our country. The state of government under the stewardship of President Jacob Zuma is sad considering that he has promised to prioritise the fight against corruption. Our main concern is, like in most African countries, South Africa today may be following in the footsteps of many that were a beacon of hope with the dawn of democracy in the respective countries, but burned down to ashes due to corruption.

According to the African Governance Report put together by the UN Economic Commission for Africa that was released last year, South Africa is sliding down the ranks in terms of good governance. The slide is mainly due to internal problems that the government is not willing to solve. This has brought South Africa's aspirations for leadership in governance in the continent into question.

We cannot afford to regress now, we have seen many leaders on the continent enriching themselves at the expense of the poor who voted them into power. We have also witnessed coup de tats and civil wars due to the struggle of resources, which is at the heart of corruption.

In the year when South Africans are celebrating the world icon, Rolihlahla Mandela's 20th anniversary since his release from prison, more indications depict a country in disarray with systematic dysfunction 20 years on.

Corruption in South Africa has become endemic. In great measure the government is to blame. The ANC government seems to be following in the footsteps of the apartheid government. The former regime was founded on a corrupt value system and sustained by corruption. The present government arises from a moral base but like the morally tainted apartheid government it too is creating conditions that are conducive to wide spread corruption taking place and going unpunished.

The increased number of service delivery protests and their violent nature amidst claims of corruption by officials is indicative of the fact that the unwillingness of government to punish those who are taking part in these unacceptable practices, will bring our country down to its knees.

The Congress of the People questions the president's moral authority to fight corruption. His failure to disclose his financial affairs to Parliament, as required by law, leaves him as a lame duck. In 2008 the National Prosecuting Authority alleged in the Constitutional Court that Jacob Zuma, the president of the ruling African National Congress, had 'failed to disclose' to the South African Revenue Service and to Parliament, for the nine years from 1995 to 2003, that he had received 583 payments from the convicted fraudster, Schabir Shaik.

One year before that in the indictment filed in the Pietermaritzburg High Court it was disclosed that President Zuma had failed to submit tax returns for nine years from 1995 to 2003 and to declare taxable income of R2.7 million.

Corruption is threatening to take South Africa in the same direction as many other countries on the continent. As the fight for scarce resources intensifies, internecine conflicts will arise and intensify. Social cohesion will be shattered.

At this juncture in our history it is clear that public investment is being routed into capital projects where bribes and kickbacks are on offer to individuals with the right political alignment and where handsome returns are available to the party itself as in its tie up with Hitachi. Is it any wonder that government services are collapsing and that people are openly saying that they were better off under the previous oppressive regime? Is it any wonder that Minister Sexwale is planning to bulldoze 40 000 shoddily built houses. It is fair to assume that a great deal of the money that should have gone into building decent houses was diverted elsewhere.

Serious distortions are already taking place in the economy because government expenditure is now flowing in two streams: one part for projects and one part for individual enrichment. Let us make no mistake about it. People are looking to enrich themselves by becoming hookworms in the present government's intestines.

Section 55(2) (a) and (b) of The Constitution requires that the National Assembly holds all executive organs of state accountable to it. The NA is also required to exercise oversight over the exercise of national executive authority. In other words, how it spends its budget in implementing policies and legislation. However, the Chief Whip Dr Mathole Motsheka, is obstructing Ministers from being called before SCOPA and Portfolio Committees

COPE undertakes to mobilize faith communities, sectors, institutions and individuals to raise their voices in protest not only against corruption but even more alarmingly at the lack of decisive action by government to act against corruption.

COPE will continue to mobilize people in South Africa to strengthen mechanisms against corruption even as the present government is trying to weaken them. The return of the Scorpions has to be put back on the agenda.

COPE has already submitted a motion of no confidence in the president. We await the President's response further to which we will table a substantive motion before the National Assembly with regard to the loss of confidence in the President on account of his serial infidelities, his broken promises, his loss of moral authority, his failure to make statutory disclosures on time on two occasions, his unwillingness to apologise to Chumani Maxwele for the unlawful arrest, loss of dignity and forced apology as well as an apparent unwillingness to combat corruption and the poor role model he is to the young people of South Africa.