PRESIDENT CYRIL Ramaphosa said allegations that the country’s R500 billion COVID-19 relief funds were stolen were ‘unfounded’ and ‘not true’.
Answering oral questions in the National Assembly on Thursday, Ramaphosa said the amount spent by government on personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the coronavirus pandemic was about R11 billion.
“Many people believe that the entire R500 billion has been stolen, that is far from the truth. What has been spent on PPEs as per the National Treasury records is about R11 billion and much of that money has gone into buying PPEs,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa said steps being taken by government to deal with COVID-related corruption left no space for the abuse of “the people’s money”.
He said government was determined to ensure that all criminal acts related to government’s response to COVID-19 pandemic were uncovered and those responsible are held to account.
“This is what our people want, expect
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