Corruption ‘goes against everything we should stand for as a nation’, Parliament’s presiding officers Speaker of the National Assembly Thandi Modise and National Council of Province’s chairperson Amos Masondo said in a joint Heritage Day message yesterday.
The holiday was ‘about celebrating South Africa’s rich tapestry of people (who the apartheid regime sought to divide and rule on the basis of race), with their varying languages and cultures, human solidarity, human dignity, unity and respect, among other things’.
It was also about ‘observing what unites us, what makes us stronger to withstand testing times, as we build a truly non-racial, non-sexist, united and prosperous nation’.
Tapping into their ‘common heritage’ would be critical to rebuilding the economy after the Covid-19 crisis and ‘ensuring a united front to tackle socio-economic hardships’.
But they went on: ‘Unfortunately, as the nation is battling this unprecedented challenge, some individuals and companies have sought to unscrupulously benefit from this devastating crisis by embezzling funds intended to save lives, particularly of the poor.
‘Such brazen disregard for the sanctity of life and the greediness goes against everything we should stand for as a nation, particularly during a crisis of this magnitude.
‘We strongly condemn such rampant acts of corruption and urge the criminal justice system to leave no stone unturned in bringing justice, particularly to the poorest of the poor.’