Waffling Ramaphosa feels the pressure at Zondo commission

Seemingly oblivious to the decimation of state resources, it has taken the ANC leadership several years to wake up to the plunder of billions of rands, siphoned off through corruption and state capture, if the testimony by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture is anything to go by.

Wrapping up his two-day testimony before Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Ramaphosa, who yesterday responded to a barrage of questions from Zondo, evidence leaders Alec Freund and Paul Pretorius, revealed how the looting of state coffers continued, despite:

• The surfacing of #GuptaLeaks in South Africa, exposing former president Jacob Zuma, ANC bigwigs, heads of state-owned enterprises and some ministers as being under the control of a powerful Saxonwold-based family;
• The 2012 ANC national conference resolution for its members of parliament and members of the provincial legislatures to take an activist stance in demanding more accountability from the executive;
• Former finance deputy minister Mcebisi Jonas lifting the lid on the 2015 Gupta plans to entice him with a R600 million bribe if he accepted the position of finance minister;
• Democratic Alliance (DA) MPs Natasha Mazzone and David Maynier in 2016, calling for concrete action and a parliamentary inquiry into state capture; and
• A warning by the ANC’s Fikile Mbalula to a 2011 national executive committee meeting about the Gupta family influence.

On why the ANC leadership failed to respond timeously to the state capture revelations, Ramaphosa said: “Despite our interpretations being blinded by events of the time, we commend the media for playing a phenomenal role of investigating state capture.

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“As politicians, at times we do not always believe what the media reports.

“They played a patriotic role.”

Asked by Freund why the ANC parliamentary caucus had voted against the DA motion moved by Maynier for the establishment of an ad hoc committee to investigate state capture, Ramaphosa responded: “At the time, the thinking was about which of state structures – [the] police or public protector – would investigate with greater effect.”

Remarked Zondo: “The ANC and parliament took years after the 2013 Waterkloof landing – another three years seems to be a delay difficult to accept.

“Given what Mr Mbalula said, who was in the ANC and what was being reported in the media, the ANC should have done something much earlier.

“Year 2017 was too far.”

Ramaphosa said: “I am not here to make excuses and defend the indefensible. I am also hereto explain some of the lapses that happened.

“You are right that a delay in action was not a correct way to handle matters, and I concede. There were those in the ANC who denied the existence of state capture, which led to a delayed reaction.”

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Political analysts polled by The Citizen have given a mixed bag of responses on the Ramaphosa testimony.

Institute for Global Dialogue political analyst Sanusha Naidu said: “He started off comfortably, his demeanour and testimony being about setting the tone in terms of his position as party president, cadre deployment and parliamentary oversight – among others.

“During the two days, he has conceded that the ANC has failed in dealing with systematic graft and state capture.

“After the tea break [on Thursday], towards lunch and the conclusion of his testimony, you saw a change in his demeanour as he was getting to the nitty gritties and dealing with the entanglements he had to unpack for the commission, like the CR17 funding campaign – making him at odds with himself.

“He maintained a narrative of being insulated by campaign managers – not knowing where the money came from.

“The answers were not just vague but carried no weight – not knowing where the money came from for his ANC presidential campaign.

“His knowledge of what was happening within the ANC and in government, is something that is going to keep coming back at him.”

Independent political analyst Dr Ralph Mathekga said: “Throughout the two days of his testimony, the president has not attributed blame to anyone, except the faceless system called the ANC – not the entire story.”

University of Pretoria political science lecturer Roland Henwood said: “It is clear that the ANC was very negligent and did not act as required by the constitution.

“For MPs and others in the party, there was naivety and fear for consequences if they acted against the leadership.”

brians@citizen.co.za