South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will reappear before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture next week to continue with his testimony in the ongoing probe on high-level corruption in the country, the presidency announced on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa, who will appear on 11 and 12 August, will present his evidence as former deputy president and now president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), before testifying as the president of the country, the high office said.
During his first appearance in April, Ramaphosa was cross-examined by some opposition parties and Afri-Forum, among others, on the ANC’s cadre deployment practices which was criticised as “one of the aspects that enabled the capture of the state.”
Ramaphosa defended the practice, saying it was being used in most countries, including Britain.
But he was not at the commission “to make excuses for the governing party or defend the indefensible,” he told the inquiry at the time.
Commission chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, thanked Ramaphosa for agreeing to testify.
“We are happy that the president of the party is the one who comes to give evidence to the commission,” Zondo said.
He added: “I also want to say that your appearance before this commission is not a result of a decision taken recently. It is a decision that was taken in 2018 as you will remember.”
According to Zondo, “the ANC has taken this position knowing that the organisation itself would be placed under great scrutiny and that the process of examining these matters will be difficult and painful for the ANC.”
“Nevertheless, the ANC maintains that this commission is a necessary part of the broader social effort of ending all forms of state capture and corruption,” he added.
NM/jn/APA