CORRUPTION
MAGDA WIERZYCKA: What to do if your business is caught in web of deceit
Company after company is implicated in variations of the same story — paying off the Guptas
Not a week goes by without yet another skeleton tumbling out of the Gupta cupboard of horrors perpetrated on SA. Company after company is implicated in variations of the same story — paying off the Guptas and their associates for lucrative government contracts, friendly legislation and other favours. Why did so many institutions become entangled in this web of deceit? Why are so few taking a public stand against corruption? The answer is obvious. From a business perspective it is so much easier to pay a bribe or two than it is to live under the burden of adverse regulation. You want to stop legislation — pay a bribe. You want to externalise your money from SA — pay a bribe. You want to secure a R1bn contract from the government — pay a bribe. Enough said.Once caught out, however, each company seems to follow the same rule book. It starts with deafening silence as it hopes the scandal will go away and the media lose interest. This is followed by half-truth statements that deny any kn...
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