Ramaphosa wished them well in their three-year tenure starting on September 1.
“The national anti-corruption advisory council is the embodiment of our united resolve as a nation to rid all components of our society of all forms of crime and corruption and develop a whole-of-society response to and prevention of this scourge,” he said.
“We have, over a number of years, witnessed the varied impacts of corruption on our public and private sectors. This damage exposed systemic failures as well as shortcomings in personal ethics and commitment to the country.
“The council will enjoy the support of the vast majority of South Africans who are honest and law-abiding and want our country to succeed. The council will be a source of concern only to those whose days of undermining our development and prosperity are numbered.”
Ramaphosa is optimistic that the fight against corruption is on the right track.
His positivity is premised on the successes of law-enforcement agencies such as the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), among others.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate had brought more than 20 corruption cases in the past financial year with 65 suspects charged, including those accused of so-called “state capture” and other serious corruption cases.
In the same period, the AFU obtained freezing orders to the value of R5.4bn relating to corruption, with R70m paid into the Criminal Assets Recovery Fund.
The SIU, over the past eight years, recovered funds and assets of R2.6bn and set aside contracts of R18bn.
A total of 119 cases worth more than R13bn had been enrolled by the SIU before the Special Tribunal.
“Corruption is an extremely complex crime to prosecute. Perpetrators go to extraordinary lengths to cover their tracks,” wrote Ramaphosa.
“They set up shelf companies to hide dodgy transactions, rapidly moving money between multiple accounts, misrepresenting income to the tax authorities and, in the case of government employees, using friends and relatives to apply for tenders to mask their involvement.
“This means that the response of the authorities has to be just as sophisticated.”
TimesLIVE
Ramaphosa appoints anti-corruption advisory council members
Image: File
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a nine-member anti-corruption advisory council to strengthen his administration’s fight against graft.
The council will join the multifaceted strategy to root out malfeasance that seeped into the public sector during former president Jacob Zuma’s administration.
In his weekly newsletter on Monday, Ramaphosa said several approaches by various institutions to fight corruption were bearing fruit.
The presidency announced the members of the advisory council to be chaired by Prof Firoz Cachalia.
“The council will advise the president on matters related to fighting corruption in line with the national anti-corruption strategy 2020-2030. Among other areas of focus, the council will advise the president on effective implementation of the anti-corruption strategy by government and civil society, including the private sector.
“The council will also provide advisory input on matters related to government’s comprehensive response to the recommendations of the judicial commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture.
“The council will also engage with sectoral stakeholders, such as organised business and labour, academia, community- and faith-based organisations to further develop the anti-corruption agenda and evaluate progress in the implementation of the anti-corruption strategy.”
The other members of the council are Kavisha Pillay; David Harris-Lewis; Nkosana Dolopi; Barbara Schreiner; Nokuzula Gloria Khumalo; Sekoetlane Phamodi; Thandeka Gqubule-Mbeki and Nomandla Dorothy Mhlauli, as deputy chair.
Ramaphosa wished them well in their three-year tenure starting on September 1.
“The national anti-corruption advisory council is the embodiment of our united resolve as a nation to rid all components of our society of all forms of crime and corruption and develop a whole-of-society response to and prevention of this scourge,” he said.
“We have, over a number of years, witnessed the varied impacts of corruption on our public and private sectors. This damage exposed systemic failures as well as shortcomings in personal ethics and commitment to the country.
“The council will enjoy the support of the vast majority of South Africans who are honest and law-abiding and want our country to succeed. The council will be a source of concern only to those whose days of undermining our development and prosperity are numbered.”
Ramaphosa is optimistic that the fight against corruption is on the right track.
His positivity is premised on the successes of law-enforcement agencies such as the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), among others.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate had brought more than 20 corruption cases in the past financial year with 65 suspects charged, including those accused of so-called “state capture” and other serious corruption cases.
In the same period, the AFU obtained freezing orders to the value of R5.4bn relating to corruption, with R70m paid into the Criminal Assets Recovery Fund.
The SIU, over the past eight years, recovered funds and assets of R2.6bn and set aside contracts of R18bn.
A total of 119 cases worth more than R13bn had been enrolled by the SIU before the Special Tribunal.
“Corruption is an extremely complex crime to prosecute. Perpetrators go to extraordinary lengths to cover their tracks,” wrote Ramaphosa.
“They set up shelf companies to hide dodgy transactions, rapidly moving money between multiple accounts, misrepresenting income to the tax authorities and, in the case of government employees, using friends and relatives to apply for tenders to mask their involvement.
“This means that the response of the authorities has to be just as sophisticated.”
TimesLIVE
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