South African court to sentence former official found guilty of corruption
Former crime intelligence officer Khangelani Ngejane will be sentenced today on charges of corruption at Lusikisiki Regional Court.
Ngejane’s sentencing is part of a larger trend in South Africa of rampant government corruption. The Special Investigating Unit meant to combat corruption has so far referred over 127 government officials to the National Prosecurity Authority to stand trial.
Despite today’s sentencing, South Africa is likely to continue to experience scandals such as the reported misappropriation of millions of dollars in COVID-19 aid. Expect the continued vulnerability of the South African government to corruption to reflect poorly for Ramaphosa and his African National Congress party. Given that 64% of South Africans say corruption has only gotten worse over the past year, Ramaphosa’s assurances of progress in the area may fall on deaf ears come election season. As a result, the ANC may see weakened support in the upcoming local elections on November 1st. After the last local polls in 2016 saw the ANC’s worst performance since 1994, a poor showing in November could signal a decline of the party which has ruled South Africa for nearly three decades. While the Democratic Alliance party — the ANC’s main rival — controls less than 10% of South Africa’s localities, it governs the five highest-performing.
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