Activist Pieter Kriel has delivered a blistering critique of South Africa’s political and economic failures, arguing that corruption is rooted in both colonial history and the ruling ANC’s modern mismanagement.
“A lot of people fail to understand that corruption has a long history, not only in this country but across Africa,” Kriel said. “Corruption did not start with the inception of democracy in South Africa, nor did it begin with the end of colonisation on the continent. It has existed for hundreds of years and was brought to Africa alongside Western imperialism and philosophy.”
Kriel claimed that what South Africans experience today is not merely home-grown malpractice but the continuation of imported systems of exploitation.
“Corruption as we know it, state capture and government abuse is a colonial import that was embedded into South African culture hundreds of years ago.”
While pointing to the enduring effects of colonialism and apartheid, Kriel also directed sharp criticism at the post-1994 government. “The ANC has destroyed the economy, collapsed infrastructure, and undermined basic services that should be the pillars of human rights in this country,” he said.
Corruption didn’t start after apartheid. It thrived when white privilege ran the country, jobs, land, funding, all handed by skin color, not merit. Systemic theft and injustice existed long before democracy. pic.twitter.com/PMmNBOOSoI
— Pieter Kriel (@pieterkrielorg) September 29, 2025
His comments come as Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi voiced his own outrage over fresh revelations of looting at Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital. On Monday, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) released an interim report exposing extensive fraud and maladministration at the facility.
“We can reveal today, through the SIU investigation, that evidence has revealed a number of maldistribution and other public procurement irregularities. This indeed will be described as a devastating plunder of the public funds, which we found in our probe.
“The investigation has uncovered, up to date, three coordinated syndicates responsible for the loss of over R2 billion,” said SIU head Advocate Andy Mothibi.
Motsoaledi, shocked by the findings, said the revelations make him ‘appreciate why the Chinese execute people’ found guilty of corruption.
He paid tribute to slain whistleblower Babita Deokaran while lamenting that those who put her murder into motion are free.
“The people who killed Babita, and who put Mr T (another whistleblower in government) are driving Lamborghinis. They are living a free life. Now, what type of country are we going to become that the public servants who are the real public servants are the ones that are in hiding, and the sgebenzas (thugs) are the ones driving Lamborghinis?” Motsoaledi asked.
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