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Yesterday, Democratic Alliance (DA) Leader and Premier of the Western Cape Helen Zille took transparency and accountability to a new level in South African politics. Faced with allegations – as spurious as they were – of tender irregularities, she made public all the relevant documentation, called in the Auditor-General to investigate and promised to resign if the tender is found to be corrupt.
 
Today, I would like to issue a challenge to President Zuma: show us you are serious about corruption by emulating the standard set by the Western Cape Government. Show us that your government shares the DA’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
 
There are a number of ways the President could do this.
 
Firstly, he could set up a judicial inquiry into the arms deal and make all the relevant tender documents available for public and judicial scrutiny. He could make a public declaration that, should the inquiry find him or any other Minister guilty of impropriety, they will resign.
 
Secondly, he could re-open the Donen Commission to investigate corruption allegations relating to the UN Oil-for-food programme.
 
Thirdly, he could act on the findings and recommendations of the Public Protector’s report into the SAPS lease deals. These include the conclusion that the National Police Commissioner and Minister of Public Works acted unlawfully and improperly. They should both be fired.
 
We are not holding our breath. The ANC has demonstrated time and again that it does not have the political will to root out corruption in its ranks. It would rather drive a smear campaign to discredit the DA where it governs, no matter how baseless the allegations may be.
 
The truth is that there was no corruption in the Western Cape communications tender. We have nothing to hide, which is why we have made every document available for public scrutiny. 
 
If the ANC was confident that its involvement in the Arms Deal, the Oil-for-Food Programme and the SAPS lease deals was above-board, it would initiate an investigation and hold those found guilty to account. That is the difference between the ANC in government and the DA in government.