President Thabo Mbeki called on South Africans on Friday to ”declare war against these parasites” guilty of social grant fraud and corruption, and help root them out.
Writing in the African National Congress’ online publication, ANC Today, he referred to Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya’s announcement that more than 37 000 civil servants were already under investigation.
Skweyiya added that over 30 000 people had also taken advantage of the recent amnesty period for those illegally receiving social grants to come forward and have them stopped.
”The figures mentioned by Minister Skweyiya concerning those who have applied to be removed from the lists of those receiving grants, as well as those being investigated with a view to possible prosecution, paint an extremely worrying picture of anti-people practices that we must root out,” Mbeki said.
Those who stole grants meant to help restore the dignity of millions, including children, were guilty of a heinous crime against the people.
”What they are doing constitutes a serious challenge to the goals of achieving a better life for all and building a humane society,” Mbeki said.
Their activities reflected a social cancer that affected all societies, including South Africa’s.
It was clear there were some people determined to continue the corrupt practices that were a feature of the apartheid system, to enrich themselves at the expense of the poor.
”It is also clear that there are others who believe that our liberation and the establishment of the democratic order have opened the doors for them similarly to engage in corrupt practices, again to enrich themselves at the expense of the people.”
In particular, some of these were quite ready to abuse their positions of authority in the state to achieve their criminal objectives, which were opposed to the advancement of the most sacred interests of the people, he said.
”In this regard we must state the matter firmly that these are parasites who are waging a war against the people. It is the task of all our members and supporters and all the structures of our movement to declare war against these parasites.
”This means that through our practical actions, we must make the clear statement that we have joined the war against the parasites, and that to be a member of Congress means to be a militant fighter against corruption and the theft of the people’s wealth and hopes.
”Among other things, this imposes an immediate obligation on all of us actively to assist… Skweyiya, to unearth and defeat the parasites that are robbing the poor of their social grants,” Mbeki said. — Sapa