The SA government must declare corruption as “public enemy number one”. The government must not stop in stepping up its fight against corruption and must continue to support the corruption watch institutions and their partners in the private sector to be part of the solution.

All South Africans must never tolerate corruption and we must pledge ourselves to do all in our power to build upon our strong fight against it.

What every South African must know is that every cent or rand that a corrupt official or a corrupt business person puts in their pocket is a rand stolen from a pregnant woman who needs health care; or from a girl or a boy who deserves an education; or from communities that need water, roads, schools and clinics.

An important step toward fighting corruption and helping more people lead better lives is to build institutions which fight corruption.

The government must also create a single pool of technical experts in the rule of law, public sector, financial and state management, and public procurement. This can be a national practice on good governance which can become a major player in the anti-corruption effort for years to come.

Before our government departments rot from this cancer of corruption, a law must be enacted to deal with those who are found to be engaged in acts of corruption, for example from the Zondo commission.

Lugisani Mutamani, Lynwood, Pretoria