News
Zuma sets up anti-corruption task team
Posted 26 July 2010
The fight against corruption, the focus on job creation, education and health are some of the issues that dominated the two-day government lekgotla in Pretoria this week, according to an SABC News report.
Briefing the media, President Jacob Zuma announced a creation of an anti-corruption task team to co-ordinate the work of various units that fight corruption. 'The justice, crime prevention and security cluster has been mandated to create an anti-corruption task team which will fast-track the investigation and prosecution of cases of corruption,' Zuma said. The report quotes the head of Crime and Justice at the Institute for Security Studies, Gareth Newham, as saying: 'It's a positive initiative, it signals that the government takes corruption seriously and that there is a high level structure that can look at how the investigations are proceeding to co-ordinate investigation to see how the cases are fast-tracked so that people can get before the justice system as soon as possible.'
Full SABC News report
Zuma, though, has cautioned the public not to 'jump to conclusions' on allegations that Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda has benefited from tenders awarded by his department. 'There are allegations. I am sure there are processes that happen if there are allegations,' Zuma said yesterday. 'I don't think we should jump to conclusions before any investigation is done.' Zuma added the allegations against Nyanda were nothing new and came from 'faceless' newspaper sources. However, a Mail & Guardian report points out that in March, freight group Transnet dismissed two senior managers for irregularly awarding a R55m tender to a company allegedly linked to Nyanda. 'The contract in question was awarded in a confined process - meaning without an open tender process being conducted or other qualifying bidders being invited - and without following the required governance processes,' a Transnet statement read at the time. In a separate case, the DA alleged a company partly owned by Nyanda was unlawfully awarded a R67.8m tender by the Gauteng Roads and Transport Department.
Full report on the Mail & Guardian Online site
See also a report in Die Burger
Corruption is a focus of the latest issue of De Rebus Digital. In an article entitled Fighting Corruption, Zaakir Mohamed and Samantha Balona discuss the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004.
De Rebus Digital
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