Ramaphosa: I am not responsible for arresting officials implicated in state capture
President Cyril Ramaphosa has settled any speculation that he is responsible for instituting action against officials implicated in state capture.
Ramaphosa addressed over 400 delegates at the Business Unity South Africa’s (Busa) economic indaba in Sandton on Tuesday, where he responded to claims that he is an “ineffective leader”.
Ramaphosa said any interference on the work of the prosecuting authority by a president is tantamount to a dictatorship.
"The day you have a president who is able to pinpoint people who should be arrested and have them arrested, charged and sent to prison. That is the day you should really be worried because it means that we have a dictatorship.”
Ramaphosa assured delegates that the state remains confident in commissions established to root out corruption in state entities.
"We are strengthening institutions and we want these institutions to do their work without any fear or favour or prejudice and we are putting people who are capable, who are independent in those institutions so that they do their work."
Ramaphosa added: "The PIC commission has completed its work and we're going through that report and we will be coming out to the nation shortly on that and the Zondo commission on state capture goes on."
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Amid growing calls to disband the power utility's board and sack Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, the president told delegates that Eskom needed to improve technical capacity at management level. "One of the things we have to do obviously is to streamline the leadership both at the oversight level, at Eskom itself and the board and management level.
The Zondo commission resumed its work on the same day, where it was revealed that former president Jacob Zuma’s testimony at the commission of inquiry into state capture has once again been delayed.
The commission wanted the former president to appear between 27 and 31 January, but Zuma’s legal team indicated that the former leaves next week for medical treatment and won’t be available to testify this month.
Zuma’s legal team told the commission that he will be undergoing intense medical treatment overseas and won’t be available before March.