Corruption allegations

Lynch-mob mentality does nothing for justice or clean government

South Africans should not allow the rule of law and basic principles of justice to be sacrificed to the 'lynch-mob' mentality which has seized opposition parties and much of the media in recent weeks.

This mob mentality follows the investigation of allegations against Deputy President Jacob Zuma by the Scorpions, and the announcement last weekend of their decision not to prosecute.

Throughout this process the ANC has steadfastly held the view that the law must take its course and that the relevant authorities must fully exercise their responsibility. It has held fast to the principle that a person must be presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

The Deputy President, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing, has cooperated fully with the investigation.

Despite this unambiguous commitment to due legal process, and despite the fact that the allegations have not been tested in a court of law, opposition parties and many in the media have immersed themselves in a frenzy of savage political and personal attacks.

In the face of this unseemly onslaught, the ANC this week said the Deputy President would not resign his position as a deputy president of the country.

"The ANC reiterates its position that until such time a court of law or competent institution of justice passes a guilty verdict, the Deputy President will not be subjected to any disciplinary process or be asked to relinquish his position."

"We must desist from the temptation to subvert due processes and pass judgment without evidence that has been tested in a court of law," it said.

Since 1994 the ANC-led government has achieved much in the effort to tackle corruption and criminality, and to promote accountability and transparency in public life. The institutions which have been established, and others that have been transformed, have scored numerous successes in exposing and curbing corruption.

These successes have been possible because these institutions have been systematic and rigorous in their work. The rule of law has been observed and the independence of the judiciary respected.

This work must continue. The fight against corruption must be conducted within our legal system, on the basis of facts and in line with the law. Anyone suspected of criminal behaviour, regardless of who they are, should be subject to investigation, and, if the competent authority deems necessary, should be tried without fear or favour.

Yet what we have witnessed in the last few weeks is nothing short of trial by media, where rumour and speculation is enough for a person to be charged, tried and convicted. A number of political parties have willingly - and energetically - participated in this spectacle, sensing that there is much political mileage to be gained from destroying the reputation of the Deputy President and casting doubt on the integrity of the ANC.

Earlier this week, these parties seized on the indictment prepared in the case of Schabir Shaik, a Durban businessmen and financial advisor to the Deputy President, to further malign the Deputy President and suggest the ANC may have been party to illegal activities through a company called Floryn Investments.

These suggestions are false. In a statement released this week, ANC Head of Communications Smuts Ngonyama said: "We wish to state categorically that the ANC has no relationship with Floryn Investments, or with Nkobi Holdings for that matter."

Suggestions that the ANC may have benefited from the arms deal are at best mischievous and at worst malicious, he said.

"We wish to emphasise that the ANC has never benefited from the arms deal, directly or indirectly, and any suggestions to the contrary are nothing more than slander aimed at undermining the integrity of the ANC," he said.

The scale and intensity of the media onslaught over the last few days and weeks, while most disturbing, should not deter South Africans from the important tasks we face as a nation.

It should not deter us from our efforts to preserve the integrity and strengthen the capacity of our criminal justice system. It should not distract us from our efforts, through the legal system, to tackle corruption wherever it manifests itself.

And it should not deter us from our determined effort to push back the frontiers of poverty, to create new and increasing opportunities for all our people, and to build a united and democratic nation.

Women's League Conference

A strong league needed to unite women

The ANC Women's League's long-awaited 4th National Conference got underway in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg, this Thursday with a call to forge a strong, united organisation capable of leading the women of South Africa.

The conference was opened by President Thabo Mbeki, who called on the over 2,000 delegates to build a strong organisation that would have a visible impact on the lives of women in South Africa.

"I hope at the end of the conference the League will be able to deliver to the people," he said. Women should use the conference to look at how well positioned they were to deliver.

The conference, which continues until Sunday 31 August, would be examining the challenges facing the Women's League. The conference has had to be postponed a number of times over the last few years because of weak and unprepared structures.

In her report to the conference, ANCWL Secretary General Bathabile Dlamini acknowledged the many organisational challenges the league faces. These manifested themselves from branch level right up to national level. Yet an audit of all women's league branches before the conference showed the organisation still has significant membership, and the conference itself is demonstrating how committed that membership is.

The league now faces a period in which it needs to rebuild its structures, broaden its membership and deepen its impact on communities and within society. Through action, it needs to establish itself as a leading organisation in the struggle to improve the situation and better the lives of South African women.

It must also focus attention on its role within the ANC itself, and the work it needs to do to build the organisation, to enhance the contribution of women to the democratic struggle, and to ensure the ANC remains at the forefront of the struggle for gender equality and women's emancipation.

The conference has a commission dedicated to discussing the South African women's movement, and the work the league needs to do in building it as a powerful force for progressive change. It will need to look at the many areas in which women are organised and the variety of ways in which they are contributing to women's development, and to debate the organisational form and programme of a national women's movement.

Commissions will also be looking at issues of economic empowerment, social development, governance and international relations.

The conference will also make amendments to the Women's League constitution and elect a new National Executive Committee, which will need to shoulder the responsibility of leading the league into a new era of unity, strength and progress.

More Information:

• ANC Women's League

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