State capture extended beyond stealing from public purse – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says the state capture era was a traumatic period, with damages extending beyond the ransacking of the public purse.

Ramaphosa was addressing the nation on Monday in his weekly newsletter “From the Desk of the President.”

After nearly four years and more than a billion Rand later, the work of the State Capture Commission drew to a close last week and its final report handed over to Ramaphosa.

The president says state capture also extended beyond the attempted destruction of public institutions and the grand corruption that robbed the South African people of what was rightfully theirs.

He says the State Capture Commission was able to conduct its work because of the activism of South Africans from all walks of life who made submissions and gave evidence, who acted as whistle-blowers and who uncovered and reported on wrongdoing.

“The immoral, unethical and criminal behaviour of self-serving individuals in positions of authority undermined the confidence of the people in the leaders and institutions that are meant to serve them. This has created a trust gap that will take some time to close.”

“Having now known what happened and who was involved, our work begins in earnest. We must ensure there is redress, justice and accountability, and that such a shameful period never happens again,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa also touched on the scrapping of Covid-19 restrictions in the country.

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“For the first time in over two years, the country does not have any Covid restrictions in place. In my first televised address to the nation on 15 March 2020, I said that we would overcome the deadly pandemic in our midst. I said that we would act decisively and that we would act together.”

Ramaphosa added that while there was not much fanfare about the lifting of the last Covid-19 restrictions, there has been a tectonic shift in the country’s national psyche.

“We are emerging from a great national trauma that caused untold damage, destruction and heartbreak. And while the Covid-19 pandemic is certainly not over, and vigilance and the utmost caution is demanded of us all, there is a clear sense that we have endured.”

“With the restrictions lifted, the responsibility for preventing a resurgence of the disease now rests with each of us. It requires that we act sensibly, understand the risks and do what we can to minimise them,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa says South Africa now has an opportunity to make a decisive break with the excesses of the past by building a society free of corruption and a state rooted in ethics, professionalism and capability that truly serves the South African people.

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