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The ANC has, once again, placed the pursuit of corruption above serving the needs of the people.

During a house sitting on 3 May 2015, I rose to table a motion that the House “commits itself to the eradication of corruption, fraud and abuse of state resources wherever it presents itself in the Northern Cape, without fear or favour”. I tabled this motion against the backdrop of the judgement delivered on Friday in the North Gauteng High Court, which means that 783 charges of corruption and fraud must automatically be reinstated against president Jacob Zuma.

It is perhaps unsurprising that the ANC under the guardianship of Sylvia Lucas felt the need to holler and howl. The ANC members present in the Legislature rejected the motion, as they feel threatened by the exposure of the corrupt core of the ANC.

Bearing in mind that a person is to be presumed innocent until found guilty by a court of law, it is important for us as the Legislature to acknowledge that neither politicians nor state officials are ever exempt from the duty to act scrupulously at all times. For us to discharge our oversight duty and ensure that state funds are spent to benefit the people, not the politicians, we need to take a strong stand against corruption.

Who in the House feels so threatened by a proposed commitment to eradicate corruption?

Issued by DA Northern Cape