Ndebele’s meditation on corruption was narrow-minded and biased
by
2012-01-29 10:00
Lucy Hlubi
Concerned citizen
Professor Njabulo Ndebele’s article, “A meditation on corruption” (City Press, January 22), is disappointing, narrow-minded and unresearched. Below are perspectives the professor failed to mention.
»Contrary to what the professor says, corruption in South Africa did not begin in 1994. In an article titled Countering Public Corruption in South Africa, Professor Tom Lodge makes a valid point that before 1994, “it was quite difficult to undertake systematic research on corruption”.
However, evidence exists to suggest that “large proportions of state expenditure were allocated to secret votes to the military, and certain areas of bureaucratic activity were protected by reporting restrictions from public scrutiny”.
»Professor Ndebele’s meditation on corruption focuses on the public sector and not on corruption broadly. Corruption in the private sector is as rampant, if not worse, than in the public sector.
The price-fixing scandal at Tiger Brands, the Netcare “organs for cash” debacle and the price-fixing scandals involving milk-producing companies are a few examples of rampant corruption in the private sector.
»Corruption is not exclusively “black”. I find it insulting to suggest that black people are the most corrupt people in the world. Furthermore, to paint the picture that corruption is the preserve of the ANC-led government is insulting. This causes a lot of psychological damage to our black children.
For the sake of our kids, please report fairly and leave your biases and prejudices at home. It is obvious that the professor has issues with the ANC government.