CHARLES MOLELE and PHUTI MOSOMANE
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has lashed out at Jacob Zuma and the radical economic transformation (RET) forces for plundering state resources and destroying law enforcement agencies during the State Capture era.
Speaking shortly after Zuma received a rapturous welcome from some delegates, Ramaphosa criticized the former president for enabling State Capture.
He said during the State Capture era, there was an organized network that was put in place to break down government institutions such as the South African Police Services (SAPS) and the SA Revenue Services (SARS in a bid to debilitate the processes of making people accountable.
“Guided by one of the resolutions of our last Conference, we set up the Commission of Inquiry on State Capture,” said Ramaphosa.
“The Commission has produced a detailed and deeply disturbing account of the nature, extent and mechanics of state capture. The Commission’s report revealed extensive corruption, fraud and malfeasance within government departments, state-owned enterprises, provincial governments, security services, law enforcement agencies and both local and international companies.”
Ramaphosa, a long-time Anti-apartheid activist and former General Secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), said an important part of the work to reverse the effects of State Capture is the recovery of funds that were paid illegally or improperly to a number of companies.
To date, he told conference delegates, nearly R3 billion has been recovered by Eskom alone and a further R5 billion is being claimed in various court processes.
“From the deliberations and resolutions of this conference, we must ensure that we use the work of the state capture commission to consolidate and intensify the efforts against state capture and ensure that those responsible – wherever they may be located – face the full might of the law. We know that there will be resistance, but this must strengthen our resolve so we can protect and advance the gains of our revolution,” he said.
Ramaphosa, who is seeking re-election as ANC President at the elective conference, also lashed out at the public violence and destruction that took place in July 2021 following the imprisonment of Zuma.
Zuma received a 15-month sentence after he ignored instructions to participate in the State Capture commission of inquiry.
“The public violence and destruction that took place in July 2021 had a great impact on South Africans’ sense of security and stability,” said Ramaphosa.
“In the wake of the unrest, we established an expert panel to examine the state’s response to the violence, which found glaring deficiencies in several areas of our intelligence, security and policing capabilities.”
“The recommendations of that panel are now being implemented. It would not be correct, as some have done, to characterise the unrest as a manifestation of factionalism within the ANC. This was clearly an act of counter-revolution to destabilise our democracy and weaken the elected government.”
Ramaphosa, however, omitted to mention the Phala Phala controversy in his political report despite scathing findings by Section 89 independent panel report that he might have violated the Constitution.
He brushed aside calls by a gorup of delegates for him to step aside for bringing the ANC into disrepute.
A report by the ANC’s integrity committee on the Phala Phala saga will be tabled before the national conference for further debates.
The ANC is meeting in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg, to elect new national leaders.
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