Zondo: SA needs Winnie's fearlessness in the fight against corruption

He was speaking at the Constitutional Hill, during a tribute event hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

He says when Madikizela-Mandela meets up with other stalwarts who have passed on, she will have some distressing news about the direction in which the country is headed. 

"Winnie Mandela will not give a very good report about us, because she will tell them that the level of corruption in this country has reached proportions nobody could have imagined before and she will say: 'This is not the kind of country that we sacrificed for'. She is going to give a report about what we are doing about corruption, so we need to reflect on whether what we are doing is effective." 

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He wants South Africans to draw on the strength and fearlessness that characterised Madikizela-Mandela's life. 

"Corruption in our country is deepening because we are fearful. If I am a Member of Parliament and I must to hold the executive accountable, I am scared because I still want to rise in the party, I still want to be a deputy minister and a minister and I am not going to play my oversight role because in that way I am going to limit my career prospects. We need to take the lesson of fearlessness that Mam' Winnie left us and say to ourselves, what is it I will do from now on that will change this society," Zondo said.

He added that the judiciary is playing its role in dealing with corruption but the onus is on all South Africans need to play their part.

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