State lax on graft, says Manuel
Former finance minister calls for state capture inquiry
Former finance minister Trevor Manuel has delivered a counter to those equating corruption in the private and public sectors, saying company boards in the former tend to take allegations of corruption more seriously than in state-owned entities and government departments. Speaking on Thursday at the World Economic Forum on Africa, Manuel said he had never encountered a private sector company whose board had a tender committee, as the boards of SA’s state-owned enterprises did, with many of the disclosures of corruption in state-owned enterprises involving tendering and procurement. "For the board to get involved in awarding tenders is not good governance," he said. His comments came in response to those of Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown and Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini, who suggested there was just as much corruption in SA’s private sector as in the public sector. Manuel was forthright in his comments on Eskom specifically. He urged that a strong independent judicial comm...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.