Thandi Modise, chair of the National Council of Provinces, said anti-corruption laws in South Africa were not enough to combat corruption, speaking at the summit of G20 parliaments in Buenos Aires last week.
She admitted efforts to tackle corruption in the past in South Africa had not been enough and highlighted the need for greater scrutiny of government.
Modise said: “South Africa is taking corruption on and I know we shall win this battle.
“As parliamentarians, we must be relentless in committing to transparency and accountability.
“Integrity is a culture and a weapon we must entrench within our societies - civil society and the media must continue to play the watchdog role to subject government to greater scrutiny,” she told the speakers at the summit.
This comes after staff from South Africa’s auditor general’s office were attacked and threatened, by individuals, who PF International understands were concerned corrupt activity could be exposed.
Corruption “destroys public trust” and weakens state institutions, she said. “By undermining trust and delegitimising institutions, corruption makes it hard to take collective decisions needed to advance the common good.”
South Africa’s government, which has been led by Cyril Ramaphosa since February, has pledged to tackle corruption. The former president Jacob Zuma faced numerous allegations of corruption and was forced to step down.
South African president also said the country has survived a “dark period” of corruption and is now fighting back last week.
He said: “We are in a new period now, we are no longer in a period of just sliding downward – now we are beginning to deal with corruption.”
He described corruption in South Africa has an “amoeba with tentacles all over” and said that to deal with it “you must go to the heart of it and thereafter it then loosens its hold on everything else”.
South Africa’s criminal justice system will “kick into action” and the time will come when “people are arrested, charged and found guilty and go to jail”, Ramaphosa added.
The president also said he intends to testify before the Zondo Commission, which is investigating the corruption under Zuma.
