Pretoria - Political parties and civil society organisations want stern action taken against those implicated in acts of state capture.
While most of these organisations want law enforcement agencies to execute arrests and prosecution of those implicated – the ANC has advised its members implicated in state capture to voluntarily appear before the party’s internal Integrity Committee.
ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe attributed the implication of its members in state capture to the party’s own weakness of having failed to prevent it.
“The ANC will honestly engage with whatever criticism may be levelled against it, and, where valid, will take steps to address these.
“On the issue of ANC members implicated in the report, the ANC is guided by its 54th National Conference resolutions. Therefore, all ANC cadres implicated by the State Capture Commission in alleged corrupt practices should make representation to the Integrity Commission. While nothing prevents an ANC member from exercising their legal rights with respect to the commission’s report, any review applications or other legal action should not prevent the ANC from continuing with its agreed internal process,” Mabe said.
He said the ANC would support the government as it considered the report’s findings and recommendations, and undertakes the work necessary to restore good governance and decisively tackle all forms of corruption within the state and across society.
It also asked law enforcement agencies to study the reports.
Outa and Corruption Watch came out guns blazing in favour of swift action from law enforcement agencies.
These organisations were of the view that the Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and his team had done South Africa a great service.
Rudie Heyneke – Outa’s portfolio manager for state capture – said now it was up to the many others – the law enforcement agencies, the professional oversight authorities, parliamentarians, business, civil society – to ensure that this comprehensive report is read, considered, and its recommendations implemented.
The State Capture Commission’s report should be the most well-read document in the country, he said.
Heyneke said these last volumes were the report that laid bare the shame of our government, the ANC and our leaders, adding the ANC did not only allow patronage and corruption to spread, but actively encouraged and enabled it. He said the former president, Jacob Zuma, was central to it, and that Ramaphosa did not do enough to stop it. A similar remark was made by Zondo.
“The Zondo report is a powerful and valuable tool for investigators and prosecutors, and is a salute to the whistle-blowers and a detailed outing of the corrupt, but it is not the only work needed. There is more work ahead for both law enforcement and a range of others who must implement those recommendations,” Heyneke said. “We all want to see the orange overalls, but we know this may take time.”
While agreeing with the sentiments, Karam Singh, executive director of Corruption Watch said it must, however, be followed by concrete processes that set in motion appropriate investigations by law enforcement agencies into the actions of the vast array of people and institutions allegedly involved in the complex network of graft and patronage, as heard in the evidence that had assailed the country over the past four-and-a-half years.
“There is no doubt that this commission of inquiry has been one of the most significant we have seen in this country, if not anywhere in the world.
“It is equally clear that the huge investment of time, money and energy spent over these past years must not have been in vain, but must clear the way for criminal justice institutions to do their work in securing justice for the many people who have suffered as a result of the grand theft and corruption we have witnessed,” he said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by a wide range of political parties, including the DA, Cope and ActionSA.
Pretoria News