A commitment to act on the widespread corruption uncovered by the GuptaLeaks reports and the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture among other drew applause during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address last night.
“We recognise, as do all South Africans, that our greatest efforts to end poverty, unemployment and inequality will achieve little unless we tackle state capture and corruption in all its manifestations and in all areas of public life,” he says.
“The action we take now to end corruption and hold those responsible to account will determine the pace and trajectory of the radical social and economic transformation we seek.
“The revelations emerging from the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and other commissions are deeply disturbing, for they reveal a breadth and depth of criminal wrongdoing that challenges the very foundation of our democratic State.”
He adds that, while these commissions will make findings and recommendations in line with their mandates, evidence of criminal activity that emerges will be evaluated by the criminal justice system.
“Where there is a basis to prosecute, prosecutions must follow swiftly and stolen public funds must be recovered urgently.
“To this end, we have agreed with the new NDPP, that there is an urgent need to establish in the office of the NDPP an investigating directorate dealing with serious corruption and associated offences, in accordance with section 7 of the NPA Act.
“I will soon be promulgating a proclamation that will set out the specific terms of reference of the directorate,” Ramaphosa adds.
In broad terms, the directorate will focus on the evidence that has emerged from the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, other commissions and disciplinary inquiries. It will identify priority cases to investigate and prosecute and will recover assets identified to be the proceeds of corruption.
“The directorate will bring together a range of investigatory and prosecutorial capacity from within government and in the private sector under an investigating director reporting to the NDPP,” Ramaphosa says.
“In the longer term, we will work with the NPA and other agencies of law enforcement to develop a more enduring solution that will strengthen the capacity of the criminal justice system to deal with corruption.”