That was an unfortunate turn of phrase for Motlanthe to use when addressing graduates of the ANC’s political school over the weekend.

 Of course no one wants to be “caught” with their hands in the till.

What South Africa wants is politicians who do not put their hands in the till in the first place. That seems unlikely to happen under an ANC led by a man who has used political and state resources  to avoid facing trial on 783 counts of  bribery.

The ANC has consistently rewarded its crooks, from the Travelgate MPs to the man who defrauded Parliament and became  a leading light in the political school: Tony Yengeni.

Motlanthe, we all know about cadres who “didn’t join the struggle to become poor”.

We know about partners such as your Gugu Mtshali, accused of     soliciting a bribe to get government support for a    sanctions-busting deal with Iran. An ANC without corruption? Not likely.