SA's Biggest Threat

*Corruption – South Africa's Biggest Threat! *

The campaigning leading up to South Africa's fourth democratic elections
are in full swing. The various political party election manifestos have
been launched with much fanfare and many more promises.
However, the exposure of corrupt politicians & corrupt political
practice is fast becoming the nation's favourite pastime.
Corruption has the ability to unravel the nation's democratic gains
while systematically undermining the development of a sustainable
economic foundation upon which our social objectives can be achieved.
In Zimbabwe a corrupt and thoroughly discredited politician gets to
retain the presidency despite losing an election - while his nation
suffers devastating losses.
Despite its rhetoric about human rights & democracy, the African Union
(AU) elected one of the continents worst human rights abusers and
supporters of terrorism as its new leader - who promptly condemned
democracy in Africa.
South Africa's leading presidential candidate faces 753 serious criminal
charges including corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering.
It now emerges that Zuma's spokesperson, Carl Niehaus who valiantly
defended his leader at his corruption hearings is now defending several
fraud charges of his own.
Apparently, Gauteng Premier Paul Mashatile failed to report Niehaus'
corrupt activities while he was a member of the Gauteng provincial
legislature.
Five out of six senior police officials have been suspended &
investigated for corruption in a nation with some of the highest crime
statistics in the world.
South African travelers to the UK are now required to obtain visas as a
result of the massive fraud & corruption in the department of Home Affairs.
South African Airways, our national carrier is now trafficking drugs to
foreign nations while the airline's CEO is under investigation for
corruption.
Yet the ruling party responsible for all of this runs its election
campaign on a corruption busting and clean governance ticket.
When one considers this on top of the hundreds of reports and
investigations of corrupt and fraudulent activity in government & the
private sector, the future certainly looks bleak.
Tragically, South African society seems to be growing increasingly
desensitized to corruption.
Every new revelation of corruption receives adequate air time - which is
met with the appropriate amount of public outrage - only to settle down
till the next sordid exposé
Alarmingly, fraud and corruption seems to be settling into the national
psyche as an embarrassing but tolerated part of the political life of
our nation.
Significantly however, there are millions of South Africans who
understand that to tolerate corruption & corrupt leaders means we have
chosen, by default, the path of Zimbabwe and the many other nations
destroyed by this cancer.
Corrupt and sleazy politicians can never be tolerated in a nation
serious about overcoming injustice, addressing urgent social needs and
building a strong united South Africa.
On 22 April 2009 South Africa arrives at a crossroads that will
determine whether we join the ranks of the world's most corrupt nations
or whether we reject crime, grime, sleaze and corruption and fulfill the
destiny of this nation.
Use your cross this election to set the nation free!
Standing
Errol Naidoo
*P.S. Please forward this to a friend*
Family Policy Institute
49 Parliament St Cape Town 8001
www.familypolicyinstitute.org <http://www.familypolicyinstitute.org>