Hon Speaker, I thank the hon Deputy President for his reply. It is estimated that South Africa, as a nation, has lost a staggering R385 billion since 1994 due to corruption at every level in government. In spite of proclamations issued by the President mandating the Special Investigating Unit to investigate concerns across government departments, shocking figures point to the fact that corruption in the country is still increasing. As part of the solution, the Presidency should consider what opposition parties are offering as a solution. For example, the ACDP believes that if a person is found guilty of corruption, guilty of stealing and looting, that person must pay back four times what they had stolen so that those thieves would be taught that crime did not pay.
Mr Deputy President, I want to know whether the penalties that government and the courts are imposing on people found guilty of corruption are harsh enough, because if they are harsh enough, what causes corruption to continue to increase? If they are not working, why are we not trying something else? Thank you.