DA submits Zondo findings as supplementary evidence in case against ANC

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted the findings of the Zondo commission as supplementary evidence in its 2019 criminal racketeering case against the African National Congress (ANC).

In 2019, the DA requested that the ANC be investigated for systemic fraud, racketeering, corruption, looting of public money over the past two decades.

Now the party says it will use the evidence procured by the Zondo Commission to strengthen its case against the ruling party.

In his findings, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said “the most dominant political faction – the ANC under President Zuma – permitted, supported and enabled corruption and State Capture”.

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“The evidence shows that the ANC had accepted donations from companies that were heavily reliant on government contracts, such as Bosasa, without investigating them. It was put to President Cyril Ramaphosa that the unlawful activities of Bosasa had been the subject of media reports since at least 2009, and that it was difficult to accept that vigilant members of the ANC would not have been aware that Bosasa was the recipient of large government contracts under dubious circumstances,” said Zondo in the state capture report.

The final part of the state capture report also made findings against ANC leaders such as Ace Magashule.

“For the Zondo Commission to have any credibility in the eyes of ordinary South Africans, criminal charges, arrests, and prosecutions must now follow,” said the DA on Wednesday.

“It is necessary therefore to interrogate the role of the party in actively engaging in corrupt activities for its own gain, allowing corrupt activities to continue under its watch and failing to intervene to prevent or arrest such activities, creating the framework for corruption and state capture to flourish.”

Reacting to the release of the final state capture report last week, Ramaphosa described state capture as an assault on the country’s democracy and a violation of the rights of every citizen of the country.

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“Through the various reports released by the Commission, we have come to understand what happened, who was involved, and what effect state capture has had on our state, our economy and our society. The State of Capture report presented evidence of the abuse of power and of how public institutions were repurposed to enable corrupt activities to take place,” said Ramaphosa.

“The report is far more than a record of widespread corruption, fraud and abuse; it is also an instrument through which the country can work to ensure that such events are never allowed to happen again.”

Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde