Former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe on Thursday blamed the country’s laws for enabling senior African National Congress leaders facing prosecution “to get off scot-free” after conviction in a court of law.
Motlanthe was addressing a webinar hosted by the Centre for Development and Enterprise to “reflect on the ruling party’s history – and the state of South Africa over the next five years.”
“At the level of ethics and morality, no public representative should go into public office when they have been found guilty of betraying trust (of South Africans). But the law, as I say, creates this exit pass,” he said.
He gave the example of a recent court case of former Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini who was found guilty of perjury last week but was given the option of a paying a paltry US$13.33 fine in addition to her four-year sentence.
According to South African laws, when a guilty party pays a fine their record of conviction is erased from the books, he said.
Motlanthe also said that he believed that ANC members implicated in corruption through the State Capture report would face the full might of the law.
“Yes, I’m confident that this will happen because it is the law. It is not dependent on the ANC’s likes and dislikes. It’s the law. So, the law will be applied effectively,” the former South African leader said.
NM/jn/APA