Law enforcement urged to speed up arrests of corrupt government officials – IOL

Politics/1 December 2019, 1:59pm/BALDWIN NDABA

Johannesburg - Azapo has urged law enforcement agencies, including Hawks and NPA, to speed up the process of arresting and charging those responsible for state capture in the country.

Azapo president Strike Thokoane made the call addressing his party members at its biennial congress held at KwaDaku Hall in Zwide outside Port Elizabeth.

The congress also marked the celebration of the 50th anniversary since the birth of the South African Students Organisation (SASO) formed by Steve Biko, Barney Pityana and Harry Nenghwekhulu on July 1, 1969.

SASO is a black student organisation working for the liberation of the black man first from psychological oppression by themselves through induced inferiority complex and secondly from physical oppression occurring out of living in a white racist society.

Our movement, born out of resilience against the brutality of racism and oppression, the Azanian Peoples Organisation (Azapo), today still stands for this objective of both physical and psychological liberation of black people.

This position, carved for us by SASO 50 years ago, affirms that there is no true liberation without the defeat of mental slavery, of lack of knowledge, of the reversal of ignorance and the psychological damage done by more than 300 years of colonialisms and 50 years of apartheid on black people, Thokoane said.

He said Azapo would continue to spread this message of resistance, of self-love and to affirm the humanity of black people.

Azapo was not formed to win a parliamentary seat. Azapo was not formed to be in government. Our movement was not formed for comrades to be councillors and members of parliament and Ministers in government. Azapo was founded first and foremost to liberate the masses of black people who are oppressed and the black working class that is exploited by capitalism and imperialism. It is worth reminding ourselves of this noble and sacrosanct mission of our movement, Thokoane said.

He said South Africa was on a perilous path due to misgovernance, corruption, theft and self- enrichment by those in power and their sponsors saying the country was preoccupied with spending billions of money on Commission of Inquiry that lead to nowhere.

Our country has been seized with almost two years of the Zondo Commission. After spending millions of rands on lawyers, not a single one of the Ministers or senior ruling party leaders and big business men and women, including international companies like McKinsey and Bain, have been charged for perpetuating so called State Capture and corruption.

Embarrassingly, we see many of those who have been implicated, forming political parties to clear their names. They continue to wear their bespoke suits and live in mansions bought with money that was stolen from the people.

KPMG, McKinsey, the lawyers and other accountants who aided this corruption and malfeasance continue to operate as normal and to do business with government, without any sanction or fear of arrest. Corruption and theft in our dear country, very sadly, has become normalised, Thokoane said.

He said Azapo supports the onerous task being performed by Judge Zondo, of uncovering this deep rot, many of our people are losing faith and patience with the judicial system, if 24 months since the Inquiry began, no action seems to have been taken by the National Prosecuting Authority and other arms of the law to bring the criminals and perpetrators to book.

Azapo makes an urgent call to all the law enforcement agencies to act upon the findings of all the Commissions that have been conducted, Thokoane said.

Political Bureau

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Law enforcement urged to speed up arrests of corrupt government officials - IOL