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The Gauteng authorities has been rocked by corruption scandal after corruption scandal for practically three many years. Veteran Democratic Alliance (DA) politician Jack Bloom, who has served within the Gauteng authorities since 1994, has witnessed it first hand. He provides BizNews the small print of case after case in a province the place three of the “Prime Seven” within the ruling African Nationwide Congress (ANC) got here up by means of the ranks. He describes how some corrupt officers merely bought re-elected whereas others have by no means been held accountable due to endless investigations. “It’s fairly clear there’s an utter lack of disgrace and utter lack of accountability…And I’d wish to see some justice and accountability lastly. These instances want to come back to court docket, you recognize, and folks should be discovered responsible.” – Chris Steyn
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Related timestamps from the interview
00:10 – Introductions
00:23 – Jack Bloom on how lengthy he has served within the Gauteng authorities
01:24 – On when he first began to note the corruption
03:19 – The worst instances he can recall
14:53 – How lots of the high seven got here by means of Gauteng
17:47 – What occurred to Covid funds
26:32 – What state has the corruption left the province in
30:10 – Conclusion
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Highlights from the interview
The Gauteng authorities has been rocked by corruption scandal after corruption scandal for practically three many years.
Veteran Democratic Alliance (DA) politician Jack Bloom, who has served within the Gauteng authorities since 1994, has witnessed it first hand.
He provides BizNews the small print of case after case in a province the place three of the “Prime Seven” within the ruling African Nationwide Congress (ANC) got here up by means of the ranks.
“There have been excessive expectations. (Nelson) Mandela was our first president, and we truly had a authorities of provincial unity. It wasn’t only a authorities of nationwide unity…So I believe it began off properly, however I’ve to say it’s been a really combined image since then…it simply bought progressively worse…mainly each division grew to become affected.
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“However on the finish of the day, with the large price range that this provincial authorities has, scandal after scandal in all places you look.”
Bloom is “most acquainted” with the Gauteng Well being Division the place it’s been “one tragic story after one other”.
One of many many examples of corruption detailed by Bloom, concerned an performing chief monetary officer who had been seconded by a non-public firm. “Are you able to simply think about a non-public firm that did enterprise with the division, and so they have been handing out contracts themselves. I imply, I’ve seen this sample in different departments. They’ve what they name a challenge administration unit, and so they give a contract to the so-called challenge administration unit, and so they begin meting out contracts to themselves.”
Blooms additionally provides examples of “one other class” of corruption. “It’s not simply cash that will get stolen. There’s, I believe, one thing, you recognize, ethical corruption.”
In a single such case not less than 144 folks died after greater than a thousand psychological well being sufferers have been transferred to “these fishy NGOs” that turned out not licensed in any respect and fully incapable of taking care of psychological well being sufferers.
Yet one more case detailed by Bloom, “is a really clear-cut instance the place folks simply noticed, properly, we are able to earn cash out of this, to not thoughts the sufferers who’re dying and the very actual want”.
Bloom describes how not even COVID funds have been secure from the clutches of the grasping.
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“Effectively, to me, that was like a stress check. Right here was a public well being emergency, and folks have been dying, and we had lockdowns, and emergency funds have been made accessible, a number of emergency funds. In actual fact, the Gauteng Well being Division bought just below two billion rands. So that you’d suppose, spend it correctly, save lives, you recognize, no matter you do, don’t waste cash. After which the vultures have been there… .
“And it appeared to me, significantly within the Gauteng Well being Division, there’s pre-existing networks; they’re already there…contracts have been simply handed out willy-nilly to all kinds of fishy firms…They didn’t ship and in consequence we had a vital scarcity of face masks and cleansing supplies…”
Along with monies looted, Bloom estimates that 20 to 30% of the price range is “simply mismanaged”.
He tells BizNews how some corrupt officers merely bought re-elected whereas others have by no means been held accountable due to endless investigations.
“…We now have elections developing subsequent 12 months, and I believe voters want to contemplate this very rigorously. We’ve been dominated by the ANC since 1994. I believe the scandals simply bought worse and worse. It’s fairly clear there’s an utter lack of disgrace and utter lack of accountability.
“…I don’t give the advantage of the doubt anymore: If it seems fishy, it’s fishy. Probe deeper…And I’d wish to see some justice and accountability lastly. These instances want to come back to court docket, you recognize, and folks should be discovered responsible.”
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