Corruption: South Africa Plaguing Issue

With 783 counts of corruption from a 1999’s arms deal, the former President of South Africa avoided numerous counts of corruption that should have prevented him from being in office. However, the corruption continued and on the brink of the 2009 election, only two weeks prior, the court ruled that these accounts of corruption were unimportant, and Zuma was let off the hook serving almost 2 terms in office (BBC). 

How could a politician steeped in corruption be allowed to run the South African government? The answer lies in the ANC. The ANC, African National Congress, which is considered the leading political party post-apartheid. The ANC was formed in 1912 to unite the African people against the whites who were ruling in South Africa. The whites took over the government and controlled the African people while exploiting Africa's natural resources for their mother country. After the liberation of South Africa, the citizens elected their first African president, Nelson Mandela. Gareth Newham, an expert covering the anti-corruption efforts in South Africa, foreshadowed in one of his articles in 2014 that “President Zuma is not solely responsible for all corruption in the public sector, but he certainly has stymied any progress that could have been made in this regard.” (ANC). 

However, the African National Congress is not solely responsible for the corruption present in the country. Along with the arms deal in 1999, Zuma also used state funds to help build his estate (BBC). While he escaped these early accounts of corruption, he was also was affiliated with Shabir Shaik, who was convicted in 2005 for soliciting bribes from a French arms company. Shabir Shaik stated that it was "for the benefit of Zuma" (BBC), thus connecting Zuma to fraud and embezzlement. However, he too was able to dodge being convicted in 2005. Zuma was also accused with other government officials for the purchase of more arms such as fighter jets and patrol boats. Unfortunately, all these charges were dropped weeks before his 2009 election. Along with all these accounts of corruption, he also was able to avoid going to trial for the 783 counts that were linked to a bribery charge that stretches to the 1990’s, almost 19 years before he was elected (BBC).

Zuma is not the only reason for government corruption. For years his party, the African National Congress supported him and ignored the charges that he was affiliated with. The African National Congress also was called on to act once these charges were brought up, however, they have a history of sitting back. During the beginning of the apartheid, when the white government passed the Land Act and forced the native South Africans to carry around passes, other organizations were working to fight the government, but the African National Congress leaders did nothing. No protests or militant action. It was only when other organizations started making headway that the African National Congress became involved in the history of South Africa. Realizing that they needed to be more proactive in securing the people's rights, they organized protests and worked to liberate the country (ANC). Once liberated, South Africa elected their first South African President that belonged to African National Congress. The African National Congress affiliated candidates have won the elections since. The African National Congress's steady hold on the government provided the breeding grounds for corruption.

Having Zuma in office took a toll on the people of South Africa, but there is hope for the government with the new president Ramaphosa (Burke). Even though Ramaphosa belongs to the African National Congress, he has already taken meaningful steps in uprooting the corruption that has buried itself in the government. Ramaphosa started looking into the leads of the corruption, like the Gupta family who is associated with Zuma's actions. At the same time, he has promised to speed land reform and work on re-establishing a strong South African economy (Galegroup). 

Although the South African people place a lot of hope in Ramaphosa, they need to understand they are the ones who can bring change and force politicians to have their best interests. Just as history has repeated itself with the corrupt politicians, it also repeated with the people coming together to eliminate those who don't have their wishes at heart. Neeshan Balton, the executive director of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, stated that “For the first time in almost a decade, South Africans can rejoice that the sun has set on the Zuma era. We can finally celebrate that the president, who had become a symbol of the erosion of state integrity, has left office” (Burke). Without change, corruption cannot be uprooted; it will only infiltrate the government, creating a dictatorship, not a democracy.

Works Cited:

“A Brief History of the African National Congress.” African National Congress, African National Congress, www.anc.org.za/content/brief-history-anc.

Burke, Jason. “Jacob Zuma Resigns as South Africa's President on Eve of No-Confidence Vote.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 14 Feb. 2018, www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/14/jacob-zuma-resigns-south-africa-president.

"Democracy wins in South Africa." Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2018. Global Issues in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A527958046/GIC?u=los42754&xid=edd5ab7d. Accessed 23 Mar. 2018.

“South Africa's Jacob Zuma Resigns after Pressure from Party.” BBC News, BBC, 15 Feb. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43066443.