Voicing concerns:

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa gives the keynote address at the sixth Cosatu central committee meeting in Pretoria on Tuesday. Before condemning state capture, Ramaphosa praised Cosatu for championing the rights of workers.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised the need for a thorough analysis of state capture in SA, while pointing out a number of challenges faced by the country because of decisions taken by President Jacob Zuma.

Although Ramaphosa did not mention Zuma by name when he addressed the Cosatu central committee in Irene in Pretoria on Tuesday, he told the labour federation that efforts to grow the economy had been dealt a major blow by recent credit rating downgrades.

The economy was harmed by Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle in March, further jeopardising SA’s credit risk evaluations.

“We know what sparked that off,” Ramaphosa said without going into detail.

Emboldened by the warm reception he received from delegates of the labour federation, which was the first to endorse him for president, he said in reference to state capture that it was the elephant in the room eating away the ANC.

Ramaphosa lauded the ANC’s decision on establishing a a judicial inquiry to resolve claims of state capture.

Ramaphosa also spoke against what he described as reckless rhetoric about radical economic transformation, a concept brought to the fore more recently by Zuma.

He said some were talking about radical economic transformation to mask, hide and sweep under the carpet the plunder of SA’s resources.

“Sometimes when you listen to it, you get a sense that there is a hidden agenda that other people have when they chant this whole concept of radical economic transformation,” Ramaphosa said.