South Africa has the tools to catch those who steal from government with impunity, President Cyril Ramaphosa warned on Monday.
In his weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa said he had spent the weekend in Mahikeng at a gathering where several citizens raised concerns about the pace of the fight against corruption.
“Citizens told me at the gathering what I have heard in many other communities across the country, that the perpetrators of such acts are known [and they] flaunt the proceeds of their crimes,” Ramaphosa said.
He said one of government’s most effective weapons in the fight against corruption and State capture was the Special Tribunal of the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) which he established in 2019.
“There can be no doubt that the Special Tribunal has been a game changer. Since its establishment, the Tribunal has recovered around US$600 million from unlawful contracts,” the president said.
Established to speed up litigation, the Special Tribunal adjudicated on matters that the SIU instituted for civil litigation after it had concluded its investigations, he added.
He said this approach had made it possible for public funds and state assets lost to corrupt acts to be recovered faster, avoiding delays in the high courts, where the SIU has to wait its turn, together with other litigants.
He warned that those who had stolen from the State that their deeds would eventually catch up with them.
“The arm of the law is long. Those who have stolen from the State may believe they have gotten away with it.”
NM/jn/APA