The Secrecy Bill: The next rounds are about to start

The Secrecy Bill climaxed with what has come to be known as Black Tuesday, 22 November 2011. That day was indeed a dark day for South Africa, its democracy and our constitution. All opposition parties, without exception, fought tooth and nail in convincing the majority Party to present the passing of this draconian Bill. Not since the dark days of Apartheid has such a shocking Bill been passed. Now more than ever before, will people be silenced.  Additionally, it is easier than ever before to hide corruption.

Sadly, the attempts at silencing people is not restricted to this Bill. For some time now members of the Portfolio Committee of Transport, of which I am a member, have been silenced and censored. It is slowly becoming common cause for the chairperson of the Committee, Ruth Bengu, to advise respondents to our questions which questions are to be applied to, effectively cutting off information and debate which is the backbone of the work we do in Committees. Increasingly, the ANC is becoming more and more paranoid as the divisions within other ANC widen.

The effectiveness of the DA within all tiers of government is becoming a bigger and deeper thorn in the side of the ANC. Something it doesn’t need considering the deepening factions, infighting and problems the ANC keeps confronting.

Out of desperation and in an attempt to “neutralize” the DA, the ANC has for sometime now been looking at ways to show that effectively the DA is even more corrupt than they are. The Public Protector launched an investigation into allegations of corruption in Midvaal, the most successful and well run local authority in Gauteng. Midvaal also happens to be governed by the DA.

The Public Protector found no evidence of corruption. Many of the allegations were discovered before the Public Protector initiated its investigations, as a result of DA-run Council launching investigations of its own. The Public Protector’s findings were nothing new – all that was confirmed was that indeed that the DA runs clean governments.

However, the Public Protector’s Report was conveniently ignored by the ANC.  The ANC’s press statement in response to the report referred to the “blatant corruption” of the municipality. Talk about calling the kettle black – most of ANC governed local municipalities are riddled with cronyism, maladministration and corruption. Even the Secretary General of the ANC, Gwede Mantashe admits that corruption is rife within the ANC – to be exact Mantashe said the following: “Corruption starts at the point where, because you are elected to an influential position in the ANC, you influence decisions for the benefit of individuals instead of society”.

The fight against the Secrecy Bill and the ANC antics is not over. Excepting for the ANC, everyone is against this Bill.  The next round of fights against it is about to start. Watch this space.