Dissolve executive arm of government to rid country of corruption – Holomisa

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa has called for the dissolution of the executive arm of the government and replacing it with a caretaker government to rid the country of corruption.

In a statement on Wednesday, Holomisa said after a quarter of a century’s worth of corruption, the governing party was incapable of rooting out corruption.

“Not only because of a lack of political will, but mainly because its entire leadership is tainted, and it is impossible for the accused to preside over the investigation, trial and punishment.

“Maybe the time is ripe for South Africans to consider, and debate, something a little more drastic i.e. should they not demand that the executive arm of the government be dissolved and be replaced by a caretaker government until the 2024 national and provincial elections”.

He suggested the structure could be comprised of representatives from civil society and the judiciary; with no political component.

Holomisa said Parliament must be kept in place to play its crucial oversight role and part of its mandate should be to develop legislation to specifically, and definitively, deal with corruption and the recovery of stolen taxpayers’ money.

He added Parliament would also be responsible for drafting a white paper on what type of local government system the country required.

“Resuscitating our economy should be at the top of such a caretaker government’s agenda as well as a review of the Chapter 9 institutions and addressing our collapsing infrastructure and waste management, our country is dirty”.

On Friday, the national executive committee (NEC), which is the highest decision-making body in the ANC, met to discuss recent wide-ranging issues, including reports of graft, the Covid-19 pandemic, Women’s Month, local government, the taxi industry indaba and infrastructure development’s role in the country’s plans for economic recovery, News24 previously reported.

News24 reported the party’s attempt to discuss corruption over the weekend fast became a finger-pointing exercise, with different factions blaming the other for benefiting from corruption.In a statement by its secretary-general, Ace Magashule, on Tuesday, the party said it was “outraged” and “ashamed” by the reports of corruption, with some of its own seeking to unlawfully benefit from the suffering experienced by many due to Covid-19.Several corruption claims relating to the procurement of personal protective equipment have surfaced in recent weeks – this followed other claims of the looting and using of food parcels to dispense political patronage.

On Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said while not all business between the state and family members or friends of politicians was corrupt, it undermined public confidence and created a perception of nepotism and abuse. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa again made corruption his focus, saying profiteering during a state of disaster was a heinous crime. “Attempting to profit from a disaster that is claiming the lives of our people every day is the action of scavengers. It is like a pack of hyenas circling wounded prey”.

Holomisa said tenderpreneurship, using ties with family and friends, was certainly not new, adding South Africa had reeled from one scandal to another and the ANC’s NEC “saw nothing wrong, and has, for years, allowed the comrades in corruption to perfect their craft”.

“Now, suddenly, the ANC NEC woke up to the idea that, even if it is legal to benefit at a suffering people’s expense, which has been its primary defence in the past, it is unethical.

“If it had not been for the Covid-19 experience, things would have merrily continued as it turns out, some corruption are worse than others. Cadre deployment, as well as factional infighting, have paralysed the state completely,” he added.

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