Corruption is cancerous - Motlanthe

2011-08-18 09:22

Johannesburg - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe says South Africa might need to consider introducing subjects related to ethics in schools to curb the scourge of corruption, according to a report in The Times on Thursday.

Speaking at the annual Ruth First Memorial Lecture at the University of the Witwatersrand on Wednesday, Motlanthe said corruption was "cancerous".

"The pestilence of corruption menacing the soul of our democracy is a life-and-death matter on which our future depends."

He said that everyone, including political leaders, needed to work together to eliminate it.

He said effective laws alone could not win the war against corruption.

"We may need to begin exploring creative ways of introducing subjects related to ethics into our school curriculum very early in the development of the learner."

Criticism

The lecture marked the 29th anniversary of the death of Ruth First, the anti-apartheid activist who was killed by a letter bomb in Mozambique in 1982.

Without referring directly to the protection of information bill, Motlanthe said the country must commit to never betray First's vision of "a South Africa where freedom of expression is as essential as the air we breathe".

He also said the government should be willing to accept criticism by patriotic South Africans.

"Accepting criticism and conceding to our errors without imputing evil motives to those committed South Africans who point out our mistakes with the best interests of our nation at heart should be as normal as voting for any party we choose."

- SAPA