South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called out members of the African National Congress (ANC) for an immediate end to corruption in the party’s ranks, reported CGTN.
In a letter released on Sunday, issued to African National Congress (ANC) members, the president urged ANC members to have the courage and honesty to acknowledge that some of its leaders, public representatives and members had resorted to some form of corruption or the other on numerous occasions.
The South African president called on the party members to confront corruption and to live up to the legacy of freedom fighters, like former president Nelson Mandela.
“As the inheritors of the legacy of Luthuli, Tambo, and Mandela, we must be honest with our people and ourselves,” Ramaphosa said adding, “We must acknowledge that our movement, the African National Congress, has been and remains deeply implicated in South Africa’s corruption problem.”
The ANC has been facing allegations of corruption for years and recently the party has been linked to the tender processes in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The South African president described COVID-19 corruption as a betrayal for the people of the country who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic. He said the anger among the people about the COVID-19 corruption is completely understandable and justified.
“This is an unforgivable betrayal for the millions of South Africans who are being negatively affected by the impact of COVID-19, experiencing hunger daily, hopelessness, and joblessness,” Ramaphosa added.
He pointed out that corruption in South Africa has denied the people of their rightful money and services and also resulted in dysfunctional infrastructure in certain parts of the country.
Ramaphosa came to power in 2017 replacing then-President Jacob Zuma as the leader of the ANC. The South African leader came to power vowing to take strong action against corruption which Zuma was unable to eradicate.
