Dear Editor
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the Special Investigating Unit’s report on looting at Tembisa Hospital, but reiterates that justice can only be done by investigating and prosecuting the masterminds behind the scandal and putting them behind bars. Justice hangs in the balance and it is up to the SAPS and NPA to tip the scales in favour of the rule of law. There has never been a more critical time for these institutions to start doing their jobs.
It is an atrocity that the SAPS and NPA have become synonymous with delayed investigations and bungled prosecutions. The report by the SIU is worth as much as the paper it is written on without the SAPS and NPA doing their part in bringing those responsible to justice.
By all accounts, the looting of Tembisa Hospital involved role players in very high places, and all those implicated must be held accountable, regardless of their position. We will not accept another cover-up, where low ranking criminals are sent to prison and the masterminds go free.
Babita Deokaran died to expose the looting at Tembisa, and four years later we still don’t know who gave the order for her assassination. The SAPS can’t (or won’t) find the masterminds behind her murder and the NPA can’t (or won’t) prosecute those responsible for industrial scale of corruption at the hospital.
The severely compromised SAPS and the NPA have contributed to the slow demise of the rule of law in South Africa – they are broken institutions. The collapse of the SAPS and the NPA is why crime goes unpunished in South Africa. It is the reason why whistleblowers are murdered, billions are stolen and no one is held accountable. It is the reason why people are no longer safe in their homes, in their schools or on the streets.
The DA will not accept a failed investigation or derailed prosecution of those responsible for the death of Ms. Deokaran and the looting of R2 billion of taxpayer money. A functional and effective SAPS and an NPA with integrity are crucial in rescuing South Africa. We will continue to use all avenues to exert pressure to ensure justice is done, but we believe the time has come for all South Africans, irrespective of political orientation to rise up and demand that prosecutors and police do their jobs and do it well.
Our demands are clear:
- The SAPS must investigate the corruption and cover-up at Tembisa Hospital and make arrests where appropriate.
- The NPA must prosecute the crimes that were committed in the looting and ensuing cover-up.
No more delays, no more failures, no more excuses.
Regards
Adv. Glynnis Breytenbach MP
DA Spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development