Ramaphosa promises to recoup stolen cash
President highlights the role of chapter nine institutions in ensuring checks and balances
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa vowed that his government would recover money stolen through state capture and bring those involved to book.
Addressing the National House of Traditional Leaders in Parliament yesterday, Ramaphosa said the state capture project ran deep.
“Our priority must be to uncover all of these networks and expose their activities, bring those responsible to book, recover all stolen funds and take decisive measures to ensure this never happens again,” said Ramaphosa.
The president described chapter nine institutions as the shock absorbers that derailed state looting.
Ramaphosa said there was a need to strengthen chapter nine institutions in the fight against corruption and ensure checks and balances in a democracy.
It was the report of former public protector Thuli Madonsela that recommended in 2016 that a judicial commission of inquiry into state capture be established to get to the bottom of the problem.
Madonsela had also said Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng must appoint a judge to chair the commission.
Ramaphosa said the evidence from the Zondo Commission was concerning to them.
Bombshells have been dropped by former Bosasa chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi implicating high-ranking ANC officials in corruption.
Bosasa has been dumped by the banks and applied for voluntary liquidation.
Some ANC ministers and exministers have been implicated in the state-capture project allegedly driven by the Guptas.
Ramaphosa said they had identified this problem as one of the priorities they needed to deal with.
He said chapter nine institutions and other institutions of democracy had been keys in ensuring the rule of law.
The country needed to protect these institutions, he said, noting the Constitution of South Africa had ensured that institutions supporting democracy were enshrined in the country, to prevent the erosion of democracy and the rule of law.
Ramaphosa also said they would soon be tabling a Bill on the National Health Insurance.
The Bill has been in the making for a while since the government started introducing National Health Insurance (NHI) a few years ago.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has said many countries who have implemented NHI, including the UK and Qatar, had gone through a tough phase, but had succeeded in the end.
He said South Africa would also succeed.
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni was expected today to announce plans on the allocation of funds for the NHI.