Chief Justice and State Capture Commission Chairperson Raymond Zondo has finally handed over parts five and six of the State Capture Report to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The ceremonious handover comes after a lengthy delay for which Zondo has since apologised.
The handover also comes after two postponements after Zondo said he still had to peruse through the documents before submitting them to the President.
Handover ceremony:
The reports mark the last work of the Commission that spanned over four years.
Zondo addressed the media at the Union Buildings in Pretoria at the official handover ceremony.
” They deal with a number of topics. Some of the SOEs involved. It’s SABC and apart from SABC, State Security is also covered, Vrede Dairy Project is also covered, Parliamentary Oversight is covered. We also have chapters that deal with money flows and how money that was obtained through State Capture was moved out of the country. We deal also with the evidence of the President as President of the country and President of the ANC. We deal with the evidence relating to the ANC and then we have a lot of evidence relating to some individuals. We deal with Waterkloof landing as well.”
President thanks Zondo
President Cyril Ramaphosa says state capture must never be allowed to happen in South Africa again.
Ramaphosa says,” The work of this Commission is a vital part in our efforts to deal with state capture. The report is far more than a record of widespread corruption, fraud and abuse. It is also an instrument through which the country can work to ensure that such events such as state capture never ever happens again.”
The President says through the Commission, South Africa has come to understand the devastating effects of state capture on the economy and society.
Ramaphosa says South Africa owes a great debt of gratitude to Justice Zondo.
Political parties react
The EFF has reacted to the handover of the last two parts of the State Capture Commission report by criticising Chief Justice Raymond Zondo for the repeated delays in releasing the report.
The EFF’s Leigh Anne Mathys says the party believes Justice Zondo should not be leading the judiciary. She has also accused President Ramaphosa of high levels of deceit regarding the Phala Phala farm robbery.
The IFP says it believes South Africa is entering a new era in the fight against corruption after the handover of the last two parts of the State Capture Commission report.
The FF Plus says it is concerned that the State Capture Commission did not delve into state capture at local government level, where the party says corruption is at its worst.
The party also says it is not certain that people will actually end up behind bars after the handover of the final fifth and sixth parts of report.
Pieter Groenewald of the FF Plus has also questioned why President Ramaphosa will only announce how the reports recommendations will be implemented in four months’ time.
Various political parties have reacted to the handing over of the final parts of the report:
