ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa will finally appear before the State Capture Commission later this morning.
Ramaphosa’s appearance before commission Chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo will be in two-parts.
For the next two days, he will testify as the leader of the governing party and next month, will give evidence as the president of the country and the deputy president during the Jacob Zuma administration.
As ANC president, today and tomorrow, Ramaphosa will among others testify on what happened during his tenure as party deputy president, especially on his role as the Chairperson of the ANC Cadre Deployment Committee between 2013 and 2016.
The committee was responsible for, among others, the selection of public representatives, some of whom are said to be at the centre of the state capture.
Lobby group, Afriforum had since applied to question Ramaphosa on his role as the chair of the committee.
And after passing this hurdle, next month President Ramaphosa will face another gruelling cross–examination on his role as the country’s second in command.
As former deputy president and now president of the country, Ramaphosa will, among others, try to rebut Brian Molefe’s testimony that he had been involved in state capture and the peddling of political influence for personal benefit.
Molefe said Ramaphosa used his position as the country’s deputy president to protect and secure lucrative coal deals for mining giant Glencore after it gave him a stake and appointed him chairperson. He also said Ramaphosa and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan brought back loadshedding at Eskom when they took over in 2018, saying they forced out skilled executives as part of a ploy to collapse the power utility and pave the way for its privatisation.
Preview of Ramaphosa’s state capture inquiry appearance:
Meanwhile, the ANC has reiterated its support for the State Capture Commission ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s appearance before the commission on Wednesday and Thursday.
ANC National Executive Committee member, Nomvula Mokonyane, says the ANC President knows what he is expected to respond to and will be able to put things into perspective.
