South African Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Wednesday handed over the final part of the report of an investigation into corruption during Jacob Zuma’s presidential tenure to President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria, reported All Africa.
Headed by Zondo, the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture heard testimony from hundreds of witnesses and examined thousands of documents about graft during former president Zuma’s tenure from 2009 to 2018 by the Gupta Brothers.
The Guptas’ influence on the hiring and firing of government ministers has also been laid bare by the report. It found that Mr Zuma enabled the Gupta family members to occupy a place of prominence to the detriment of the country.
Speaking at the handover of the final report, President Ramaphosa emphasized that he didn’t know what’s in the conclusion, not even the commission’s findings on his own testimony.
“Not for once has the chief justice even wanted to discuss the evidence that I have presented to the commission,” the South African president said.
He said he will accept the report findings even if it has a negative finding against him. He added that State capture was an assault on the country’s democracy and violated the rights of every man, woman and child in the country.
Ramaphosa said far more than being a record of widespread corruption, fraud and abuse, the report is also an instrument through which the country can work to ensure that such events are never allowed to happen again. He said he would submit a detailed plan to parliament within four months to outline what he plans to do with the commission’s report.
During the report handover ceremony at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, when Zondo was asked whether he had any regrets about the work done by the commission, he said one should always be open to admitting that one has made a mistake.
