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The Congress of the People (COPE) has called for the immediate resignation of Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.
This demand follows alarming discoveries of systemic issues within the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), including instances of corruption, incompetence, abuse of power, and overall inefficiency.
Pakes Dikgetsi, acting national chairperson of COPE, acknowledged that the severity of the crisis, which occurred under her leadership, necessitates her resignation from the position.
“In any functioning democracy, a minister overseeing such a catastrophic failure would have already stepped down.
“The Madlanga Commission has laid bare the depth of the decay at IDAC: improper authorisations, questionable case handling, lifestyle and qualification irregularities.
“These are not isolated incidents by rogue officials. They occurred on the minister’s watch. The buck stops with the political head.
Dikgetsi stated that although COPE supports the suspension of specific officials and audits, these actions are too late to absolve the leadership responsible for compromising the institution shortly after its launch eighteen months ago.
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He added, “For too long, South African ministers have perfected the art of shifting blame onto officials while pretending ignorance of glaring failures in their departments. This is gross incompetence and a betrayal of public trust.
“True accountability requires consequences at every level of the value chain, from investigators to the cabinet. Political heads cannot evade responsibility when institutions they oversee collapse into controversy, inefficiency and allegations of abuse of power.
“IDAC was established to fight high-level corruption, yet it has itself become mired in scandal. The public has lost confidence.
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“Minister Kubayi’s continued presence in office undermines efforts to restore credibility to the National Prosecuting Authority and the broader justice system.”
Dikgetsi emphasized that accountability should be impartial, urging the minister to resign if she is committed to clean governance. He called on President Ramaphosa to promptly accept her resignation and appoint leaders capable of real reform.
“South Africans deserve better than performative briefings and half-measures. We demand decisive action and full accountability across the board,” he concluded.
