Civil society comes out for Public Protector

Executive secretary of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, Lawson Naidoo, said, “Corruption is not something that can be tackled just by government alone or by the public protector … it has to be tackled by South Africans collectively.”

Today’s protest was part of a series of events staged by numerous Cape Town organisations. Among today’s participants were representatives from the Treatment Action Campaign, Progressive Youth Movement, Social Justice Coalition, and others.

A similar protest was held today in Johannesburg on Constitution Hill.

Chairperson for the Cape Town planning team for United Against Corruption, Karen Barensche, said that this is just the beginning. “We don’t think that this is just one day; one day of doing a protest does not make a difference,” said Barensche. “It’s just people standing up and saying enough is enough … The public protector called on people to protect the public protector.”

Mark Gevisser, one of the protestors, said that there are ways other than voting for people to make themselves heard by government. “Another way of taking action is with our feet and by showing that we care, and showing - particularly the government - that they can’t get away with things because there is a significant mass of people that won’t let them get away with things.”

Nomacebo Mbayo, Right-to-Know administrator and part of the waste packer movement, said some people live in unbearable conditions while the President spends millions building his home.

“We are sick and tired of all the secrecy and corruption. We want government to be transparent and be what they promised to be prior 1994.”

“Lots of people in South Africa do not have access to basic things like toilets and water. We are here to [speak] out,” said Mbayo.

Unite Against Corruption is holding another march on 23 September.