Among the graft allegations the representatives of the churches in South Africa highlight in their collective statement include “the awarding of personal protective equipment contracts to people who have links in government, as well as those who serve or have previously been employed in the civil service.”
“Recently a list of companies with questionable COVID contracts at the Gauteng Province has been bandied around. These allegations have been really disappointing to us and for South Africans at large,” the church leaders bemoan in their July 30 statement.
Among the companies on the list, they say, is “a company associated with the husband of Mrs. Khusela Diko, the spokesperson of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has taken leave of absence in the wake of allegations against her husband.”
All these allegations must be expeditiously and thoroughly investigated and dealt with effectively, the representatives of the interdenominational forum that brings together 36 member churches and organizations including the Catholic Bishops urge.
The members of the Johannesburg-based forum indicate that they are “very much alert” to the reality that the rapid response needed in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis has made the country “vulnerable from those who are unscrupulous and are committed to exploit our resources through fraudulent means.”
They explain, “In the rush of the moment, corruption does take place and others will be seeking to gain by the increase of prices, taking advantage of the desperate needs of our people.”
“Those who engage in such calculated COVID theft are behaving like opportunists that swoop to gobble up access to help, leaving the weak and sick, desperate for breath, and for protection from the deadly virus!” the church leaders say.
They continue in reference to the suspected looters, “These so-called ‘COVIDpreneurs’ have shown that the evil culture of greed and corruption triumphs over honesty, ethics and good governance in our government, and this needs to be uprooted.”
The representatives of the interdenominational forum bemoan the country’s “deep corruption scourge and the poor track record of holding people to account,” which they say “does not inspire confidence that any further funds intended for mitigation of the dire socio-economic impact of COVID-19 will be used accordingly.”
“We make an appeal for those people who are involved, some of whom are our congregants, to refrain from these criminal acts of fraud and corruption, and be reminded that they are not stealing from government, but from the mouths of people of South Africa, and more especially the poor who continue to suffer at this time,” the church leaders say in their collective statement.
