‘Parliament is failing to protect the country from corruption’ — Maimane weighs in on Zondo’s criticism

Build One SA leader Mmusi Maimane has weighed in on chief justice Raymond Zondo's criticism of parliament, claiming it is “serving and protecting one party over the people of South Africa”. 

Zondo recently sparked debate when he told delegates at a colloquium hosted by the Human Sciences Research Council that parliament would fail to stop another state capture as he has not seen anything fundamentally change in the operations or rules of the institution.

He blamed the National Assembly for failing to prevent and end state capture as the ANC was against investigating the allegations of capture and the Gupta family.

In an opinion piece on TimesLIVE Premium, commentator JJ Tabane noted “as many as 98 ANC members were mentioned in the state capture report — not one has been reprimanded by the party”.

Weighing in, Maimane said parliament had failed the country.

“The chief justice is right to say parliament is failing to protect the country from corruption.”

He said this was because “parliament is serving and protecting one party over the people of South Africa”, citing former president Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead debacle, state capture and the recent Section 89 independent panel report on a robbery at President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm.

Tabane said the ANC is “playing fast and loose” with the state capture inquiry report handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa last year.

“It set up a committee led by Jeff Radebe (of all people). No wonder no action was taken by anyone in the ANC.

“A billion rand later, no consequence has been meted out to any ANC member even by its low standards of internal discipline. There must be a law against such brazen complacency.

“The congress that gathered some 6,000 delegates failed to discuss this matter, which shows a culture of poor consequence management has firmly set in across the organisation, explaining endless reports of the auditor-general showing rampant theft of public funds across provinces and municipalities where the ANC deploys its cadres — another red flag waved by Zondo.”

Parliament's spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said it was inappropriate for Zondo to engage in public attacks on the legislature, and said parliament should be given space to implement the recommendations of the report.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said there should be a separation of powers.

“There's nothing wrong [with] criticising judgments, but you must be factual. Judges are not demigods. Judge Zondo has an opinion week in, week out, which is fine.

“We must respect the separation of powers because he has done what he was supposed to do. He is finished,” Mbalula said at the Western Cape ANC elective conference over the weekend.