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The
great South African Nobel Peace Laureate Albert Luthuli once
said:
“What we need is the courage that rises with
danger”.
Today, President Thabo Mbeki has shown that courage.
He faced a choice between two difficult paths. Each had its
political costs.
Yet in the end he chose to uphold principle over politics.
By so doing, he has led us to a great victory for our young
democracy.
We have shown the world that South Africa is not among those
nations who allow corruption to unravel the fabric of their
country’s soul. President Mbeki has lived up to the promise
he made in this House three weeks ago, when he declared that our
government will not be “undermined or compromised by
corruption”.
This day will be remembered as a landmark in our nation’s
history. But the fight against corruption is far from over.
It is only beginning.
We know the arms deal has already claimed many political
casualties.
The former Chief Whip of the ruling party has been convicted of
fraud.
The late former Minister of Defence has been severely
tarnished.
The former National Director of Public Prosecutions has been pushed
out of public life. And now the Deputy President has been forced to
leave his office.
The truth haunts South Africa like an angry and vengeful
ghost.
It will not be put to rest until we finally conduct a full
independent judicial investigation into the arms deal and the
corruption at the heart of it.
There are those who believe that the Honourable Jacob Zuma is the
victim of a conspiracy.
Only a complete examination of the facts can quell their
fears.
The President must fulfill the example he set here today, and shine
the light of justice in every corridor of government until the
trust of the people has been restored.
Let us protect South Africa’s freedom from those who would
corrupt it.
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