Motlanthe calls for collective action against state capture

Former president Kgalema Motlanthe has called for collective action against state capture, corruption and the abuse of state resources in the country.

Speaking at the launch of NGO federation Oxfam’s South African division, which coincided with Africa Day yesterday, Motlanthe dug into the contentious political issues facing the country and the continent.

“Distressingly, we find ourselves in contemporary South Africa at a point where interventions into our political malaise are dominated by talk of state capture,” he said, saying government and the state were being abused towards “kleptocratic” ends.

The former president also criticised Public Enterprises Minister Lynn Brown and the Eskom board of directors for allowing the return of former MP Brian Molefe as the utility’s group CEO.

He called for more public participation in the hiring of key executives at parastatals.

“If you refer to the current shenanigans at Eskom, you will understand that here is a resource which is a public resource really being put to waste with the people not benefitting whatsoever.

Instead, those people expect to be praised for keeping the lights on, which is their only responsibility. And yet they expect praise just for keeping the lights on,” he told a sniggering audience.

His comments followed Brown’s recent announcement that she would launch her own inquiry into allegations of state capture against Eskom and Molefe.

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