Profiting from Covid a crime – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa said while not all business between the state and the family members or friends of politicians was corrupt, it undermined public confidence and created a perception of nepotism and abuse.

In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa again made corruption his focus, saying profiteering during a state of disaster was a heinous crime.

“Attempting to profit from a disaster that is claiming the lives of our people every day is the action of scavengers.”

The president added that the issue was a real problem.

“While everyone in South Africa has a right to engage in business activities, we are faced with the real problem of families and friends of political office bearers or public servants receiving contracts from the state. Not all conduct of this sort is necessarily criminal, but it does contribute to a perception and a culture of nepotism, favouritism and abuse.

“And it undermines public confidence in the integrity of our institutions and processes. We are determined to finally deal with the entrenched patronage networks that enable government employees to bid for state contracts through their friends and relatives. This requires not only better laws and stronger enforcement, but also political will and social mobilisation,” Ramaphosa said.

He made the statements after tensions in the governing party, following reports that family members of senior leaders benefitted from Covid-19-related tenders.

Ramaphosa’s corruption-buster brand was dealt a large blow when Thandisizwe Diko, the husband of his spokesperson, Khusela Diko, was implicated in tender irregularity allegations after a R125 million contract was awarded to his company by the Gauteng health department.

Family members of other high-profile individuals within the ANC who were said to have also benefitted from Covid-19-related contracts were reportedly the daughter of former minister and national executive committee (NEC) member, Nomvula Mokonyane and sons of ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule.

Ramaphosa’s statement comes on the back of an ANC NEC meeting that focused on corruption.

The president was said to have set the tone for the debate around corruption in the party’s highest structure, warning that reports of corruption undermined the government’s efforts to deal with Covid-19.

In his letter, the president said he would change the culture in the public service to encourage more openness, making it easier to report the misuse of public funds.

A broad range of investigative and prosecutorial capabilities needed to be brought together under one roof, he said.

– News24 Wire