State capture: Ramaphosa vows to act
Awaiting report of commission before he moves – including against ‘any members of the cabinet implicated’
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to act against ministers implicated in the testimonies at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture once he receives the report.
Ramaphosa made the undertaking when responding to a parliamentary question by the IFP’s Mkhuleko Hlengwa.
Hlengwa had enquired whether Ramaphosa would take action against Minister of Environmental Affairs Nomvula Mokonyane, former minister of mineral resources Mosebenzi Zwane and Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Thabang Makwetla.
The trio recently featured in testimonies at the Zondo Commission.
Ramaphosa said the commission was still under way. Following the conclusion of the inquiry, the commission would submit findings and recommendations to him. “The president will await the report of the commission before determining what action needs to be taken, including against any members of the cabinet who may be implicated in the report.”
He said there was nothing preventing the relevant authorities within the criminal justice system from investigating allegations of impropriety by ministers or any other persons.
“In any such instances, legal processes must be allowed to be concluded with due regard for the rule of law,” Ramaphosa said.
His written response comes days before he responds to oral questions in the National Assembly.
On Thursday, DA leader Mmusi Maimane is expected to ask Ramaphosa whether he will instruct his cabinet to conduct an audit of all contracts concluded between national departments and Bosasa – now known as African Global Operations.
Maimane has been pressuring Ramaphosa to instruct his government to cancel all Bosasa contracts and place a moratorium on any new contracts with the company or its subsidiaries.
Ramaphosa is already facing a probe by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane over the R500 000 he received from Bosasa chief executive Gavin Watson for his election campaign for the ANC presidency.
Meanwhile, Police Minister Bheki Cele has confirmed that he was aware of the testimony given by Bosasa director Angelo Agrizzi at the Zondo Commission about him visiting a prawn farm linked to the Watsons in Gauteng.
Cele was responding to a written question from the EFF’s Natasha Ntlangwini. He said former president Jacob Zuma had invited him while he was deputy minister for agriculture to go and view the aqua project.
Cele denied receiving any gifts of any kind from Bosasa. “There were no gifts, either financial or material, received from Bosasa by the former deputy minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries,” the response said.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa ducked a question on steps to act on recommendations of the Nugent Commission of Inquiry Into Taxation and Governance by the SA Revenue Service that criminal prosecution be instituted against former Sars commissioner Tom Moyane for awarding a certain contract.
Cope’s Deidre Carter enquired about the current status of the specified steps.
Ramaphosa said the government had started implementing the most pressing recommendations made by the Nugent Commission. “These include terminating the appointment of Tom Moyane as the commissioner of Sars on November 1, 2018 and initiating the process to appoint a new commissioner,” he said.
Ramaphosa said a new commissioner was expected to be appointed in the near future. “While some of the organisational recommendations can only be implemented by the commissioner, the minister of finance announced during the Budget speech that the acting commissioner has already taken steps,” he said.
These included re-establishing the large business unit and launching the illicit economy unit to investigate syndicated tax evasion schemes in highrisk sectors, including tobacco trade.