Former ANC MP warns that the nuclear deal will bring corruption of the worst kind

Former ANC MP and arms deal whistle-blower Andrew Feinstein fears that the nuclear deal reported to be in the pipeline will involve corruption of a scale yet to be seen before.

Feinstein was speaking at the #NandosDMGathering where he explained that South Africa’s standing as a developing country means that corruption has far reaching consequences here than it would in a developed country.

 “The tragedy of democratic South Africa is not that we are worse than anyone else,” Feinstein said.

“It is the speed and enthusiasm with which we adopted the very tawdry global norms of politics.”

Feinstein believes that the abuse of state coffers is not something unique only to South Africa but the country is at an unfortunate stage in its development where economically it cannot afford the scale of corruption experienced.

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He quit the ruling party after exposing the Arms Deal and believes it’s changed completely from the party he once served under.

 “The organisation is unrecognisable to me from the ANC I identified with in the ’80s and served as an MP in the ’90s,” he said.

He warned that the worse is yet to come.

“The current nuclear deal will make the Arms Deal seem like small change, both in the scale of its corruption and its corrosive impact on our democracy,” Feinstein said. “The last two people on the planet one would want negotiating such a deal are Messrs Vladimir Putin and Jacob Zuma.

“Have we forgotten the nuclear catastrophe of Chernobyl?”

He was referring to the infamous 1986 disaster in questioning the government’s choice of ally in this deal, considering Russia’s track record with nuclear energy.

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