corruption in SA ‘It’s a mistake to think that state capture was only about Zuma’

• Published date: 09 January 2022
• Publication title: Weekend Argus

Arguably, a stampede to a crime scene is excusable where there has been a massive loss of life. Ramaphosa made one to Phoenix following the social unrest in July. God knows why, despite many promises, he is yet to go to Marikana

It is in such unguarded moments when he plays to the gallery that Ramaphosa makes inane comments. The memorable ones include describing last year’s social unrest as ethnic mobilisation, and an insurrection.

Media reports suggest that during the State memorial service, he portrayed the former apartheid party leader FW de Klerk, who has blood on his hands, as a man who fought for the rights of the oppressed.

The handover of the report on the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector State Capture provided Ramaphosa with another opportunity to present himself in the most favourable light.

“This is a defining moment in our country’s effort to definitively end the era of state capture and to restore the integrity, credibility and capability of our institutions, but more importantly, our government.”

If only it was that easy. One would have thought the scandal regarding the personal protective equipment procurement did not take place under his watch. The picture Ramaphosa presents stands in glaring contrast to how ordinary South Africans perceive his administration.

According to an 2021 Afrobaro- meter survey, many South Africans think corruption has worsened under his administration, with 64% saying it increased in the last year. More damning is that 53% of those surveyed think his office is also implicated. The outcome of the local government elections and the fact that Ramaphosa was repeatedly booed are consistent with the findings of the survey.

Ramaphosa enthused about how the report lays the “foundation for greater transparency, accountability and ethical conduct within all state institutions and across society”. Big and good talk. Again, if only it was that easy.

Greater transparency was nowhere in sight when Ramaphosa hurriedly asked the courts to seal the files that shine a light on the funding related to his campaign for the presidency of the ANC. Early in his campaign, Ramaphosa told everyone who cared to listen that we needed to get to the bottom of Gupta emails. That was vintage Ramaphosa.

That talk disappeared with lightning speed when his own personal emails surfaced. Ramaphosa approached the courts to seal emails that would call his ethical stance as a...