President Cyril Ramaphosa says implementing the recommendations of major commissions of inquiry remains central to the government’s strategy to tackle crime and corruption.
Speaking at an “Evening with the President” event hosted by the ANC at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in eThekwini, Ramaphosa outlined the government’s priorities with a strong focus on law enforcement and accountability.
“Tackling organised crime and infrastructure sabotage is another area of key focus and implementing the recommendations of the Zondo commission of inquiry and now going to implement the recommendations of the Madlanga commission,” he said.
Ramaphosa said South Africans were eager to see tangible consequences for those implicated in corruption.
“People want to see the big people being arrested and being sent to jail and wearing orange overalls. That is mostly what they want to see and that, too, is on its way because the NPA is working on all the issues that it needs to work on,” he said.
He said the implementation of the recommendations was already under way.
“Various recommendations are going to be implemented, as we will implement the Madlanga commission recommendations, and we have already started.”
People want to see the big people being arrested and being sent to jail and wearing orange overalls. That is mostly what they want to see and that, too, is on its way because the NPA is working on all the issues that it needs to work on.
— President Cyril Ramaphosa
Ramaphosa stressed that rebuilding state capacity and strengthening law enforcement remained a core priority.
“Our government places strong emphasis on rebuilding the state. And our key priorities here are to strengthen law enforcement and the prosecutorial capacity.”
He dismissed claims that recommendations of commissions were being ignored.
“People often say we don’t implement recommendations from commissions of inquiry. By far and large, most of the recommendations of the Zondo commission are being implemented,” he said.
The president also took aim at corruption within law enforcement, saying decisive action would follow the outcomes of the Madlanga commission.
“As the Madlanga commission will come out with its report, we will deal with the rot that is in the police. We will ensure that we root out the rot that is in there,” he said.
The Zondo commission of inquiry, led by former chief justice Raymond Zondo, spent four years investigating state capture and produced a multi-volume report with more than 350 recommendations including over 200 for criminal investigations.
These focused on issues such as corruption, money laundering, procurement reform and stronger protections for whistleblowers.
In 2022, Ramaphosa announced several interventions in response to the report including making the Investigating Directorate permanent and overhauling public procurement systems.
The presidency has since maintained that progress is being made on both accountability and institutional reform.
The president recently established the Madlanga commission, chaired by former Constitutional Court judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, to probe allegations of corruption, criminality and political interference within the criminal justice system.
The commission was set up after claims by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi and has already produced an interim report referring several matters for urgent criminal investigation and possible prosecution.
Ramaphosa has since extended the deadline by five months.
He emphasised that no one implicated would be protected.
The president also outlined broader priorities for the government of national unity (GNU) including economic growth, job creation, reducing the cost of living, tackling crime and corruption and strengthening state capacity.
Ramaphosa also highlighted the urgent need to fix failing municipalities.
“Municipal dysfunction is one of the biggest threats to the development of our country. [We must] stabilise failing municipalities and rid our municipalities of corruption that continues to take place in a variety of ways,” he said.
He said the government’s long-term vision was to stabilise, reform and grow the economy while expanding opportunities.
“To stabilise our country, to reform and transform, to grow and to include and to grow the economy through investment and to include more South Africans in opportunities.”
In a rallying call to ANC members, Ramaphosa urged continued support for the party, crediting it with leading efforts to dismantle state capture and rebuild institutions.
“That engine is the ANC. That is the one that is taking the country forward,” he said.
Calling for unity and perseverance, Ramaphosa invoked the legacies of past leaders of the movement, including Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo.
“Let us take that baton and move forward,” he said.
TimesLIVE
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