Corruption in South Africa has become a big concern to the country’s workers because it has robbed them of their livelihoods and much-needed services, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said on Tuesday.
COSATU general secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said this in the wake of the African National Congress (ANC) weekend meeting to deal with corruption within its ranks.
Addressing a post-ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting briefing on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ruling party would not tolerate any forms of corruption within its rank and file.
The NEC agreed that ANC cadres facing corruption allegations would be asked to resign from their positions immediately until the allegations were cleared, Ramaphosa said.
Ntshalintshali, however, said “talk is cheap” and words were not enough. What was needed was action from the ruling party, the secretary general said.
“The ANC has taken a number of policy positions – the question of lifestyle audits, proper deployment, and accountability. But they have to do more to make sure that people (involved in corruption) are indeed arrested, prosecuted, and convicted,” Ntshalintshali said.
According to him, COSATU was very concerned because corruption “strikes at the heart of workers’ livelihoods and robs them of much-needed services.”
NM/jn/APA