ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has promised that those found guilty of corruption and state capture will not be allowed to serve in positions of authority, whether in government, parliament or within the party itself.

Ramaphosa, who was speaking at the party's Siyanqoba rally in Johannesburg on Sunday, said SA will not surrender its freedom to corruption and state capture.

"We will not submit and we will not retreat. We will fight with every means at our disposal to ensure that those who occupy positions of authority serve only the public interest and our people - not their own pockets and not themselves," he said.

"The Zondo commission [into allegations of state capture] is uncovering the nature and extent of state capture. We have done much to restore the credibility and effectiveness of a number of institutions that had been weakened: the National Prosecuting Authority, the SA Revenue Service, the police and the State Security Agency … But the road ahead is long, and there is still much to be done."

Ramaphosa warned that resistance should be expected "from those who have benefited from wrongdoing".

"But let there be no doubt – those responsible for malfeasance and also corruption will be held to account. The police and prosecutors will be further strengthened and their independence will be assured," he said.

"We are determined that those found guilty of corruption or involvement in state capture will not be allowed to occupy positions of responsibility, either in the ANC, in parliament or in government.

"This is important if we are to deal with the issue of integrity. The era of impunity is over. We are now entering the era of accountability. We are now entering the era of consequence management."