CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday submits his response to recommendations from a state inquiry into alleged corruption during his predecessor’s presidency.
A judicial commission of inquiry was established to examine allegations of high-level graft during former president Jacob Zuma’s nine years in power from 2009 to 2018.
The inquiry found that Zuma had allowed businessmen close to him – brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta – to plunder state resources and influence policy, commonly known as ‘state capture’ in South Africa.
The Guptas deny any wrongdoing and have left the country, but they face extradition proceedings in Dubai.
Zuma also denies wrongdoing and at one stage refused to cooperate with the inquiry, leading to his imprisonment in July 2021 for contempt of court.
Ramaphosa received the fifth and final report from the commission in June. The reports said investigations had found corruption across key sectors of the economy including state-owned companies such as power utility Eskom and freight and logistics group Transnet.
In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ramaphosa said his response outlines steps government will take to catch implicated suspects, reforms to prevent a repeat of state capture as well as broader systemic reform.
Ramaphosa’s written response has not been published, but a presidential statement said he is expected to address the nation on Sunday evening.
(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by David Goodman)
