OPINION: Good Business Basics – Corruption the thread which links recent dreadful events

There is a golden thread that joins the dreadful events that have occurred in our country over the past few weeks, and that thread is corruption.

For those that believe that corruption is mainly a non-violent, passive and harmless crime, read on.

Let’s begin with the tavern tragedy in East London, in which 21 young people died.

It is an inescapable conclusion that corruption contributed to the tragic turn of events.

Either in the granting of the licence, or subsequent enforcement of the regulations that should have ensured that safety precautions would have prevented such a calamity were adhered to.

That a single township can garner 140 odd licensed liquor trading establishment beggars belief, but it’s the reality on the ground.

Next, the awful events that unfolded outside Krugersdorp a week or so ago at the disused mine, where several young women were sexually violated.

Illegal mining, carried out by the so called ‘Zama-Zamas’ has flourished over the past few years, virtually unmolested by law enforcement.

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Bearing in mind that even these illegal operations require a great deal of heavy machinery, noise and heat, it is inconceivable that these activities could have reached the scale they have without the notice and knowledge of at least some elements of law enforcement.

Then you have the processing and selling of the finished minerals onto formal markets.

If the attacks on the young women had not come to light, these activities would have continued to flourish aided and abetted by mine security, state law enforcement, and private sector precious metal players.

The pandemic of gang violence in parts of the Western Cape is directly linked to corrupt policemen selling firearms due for destruction being sold to gangs.

Indeed, research is pointing to the explosion in gun violence throughout the country being linked back to the corrupt actions of this group of policemen.

Finally, the current backlash against foreigners who are being blamed for almost every ill the country is facing is related to the nefarious and illicit actions of Home Affairs officials.

Be it the granting of ‘fast track’ citizenship in exchange for the ubiquitous ‘brown envelope’, or turning away from people crossing our border posts without the necessary documentation, the culpability of rogue officials of the Home Affairs Department cannot be ignored.

Corruption is no longer a ‘soft’ or white collar crime. It is an entrenched and well oiled industry in the country, and the beneficiaries think nothing of using lethal force to protect their turf.

The likes of Babita Deokaran have found this out the hard way.

Vijay Naidoo is the CEO of the Port Shepstone Business Forum. He writes in his personal capacity. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.

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