Mr Speaker, during the debate on the state of the nation address, the president of the IFP expressed his concern about the level of corruption in our country when he said, and I quote: "Corruption is the bane of our country. It is a fundamental threat to our constitutional democracy."
Indeed, corruption has become endemic in our society, especially in our municipalities, where the cancer of corruption is spreading. In the latest scandal the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality in Mpumalanga sold a piece of land to a company. On the same day, the company in question sold that piece of land to a developer, making a R1,6 billion profit. It is clear that this was no ordinary transaction. The deal smacks of corruption.
The routine cronyism in our municipalities cannot go on. Cronyism, corruption and ineptitude in municipalities around the country are at crisis levels and has left many municipalities unable to fulfil their basic functions. In many ways - too many, I dare say - the overwhelming majority of people are trying to make money from holding public office, being in politics or exercising public power. This practice must be stopped. We must intensify our fight against corruption and stop office-bearers in municipalities from engaging in dodgy deals and plundering the public purse.