Some of the vehicles seized by the Special Investigating Unit last year from the Sandton mansion of alleged Tembisa Hospital looting kingpin Hangwani Maumela.
Image: SIU / X
PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday addressed the nation, reinforcing his commitment to accountability and transparency in the wake of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
With allegations of wrongdoing by various individuals surfacing, the President assured citizens that no one implicated in these activities would escape scrutiny.
“I can give an assurance that no one who is either implicated or will be implicated will be shielded, and when the commission does its recommendations, we will act accordingly on those recommendations,” Ramaphosa said.
He was responding to a follow-up question during the question-answer session in the National Assembly from MK Party MP Des van Rooyen, who enquired whether his decision not to make public the commission’s interim report was intended to protect politically connected individuals.
Van Rooyen said South Africans will naturally worry that powerful individuals like his relative, Hangwani Maumela, may be shielded from scrutiny.
In his response, Ramaphosa said he has already gone public to describe the relationship between himself and Maumela.
“I do not wish to get into that, because continuous peddling of that information, which is actually misinformation, is completely incorrect.”
However, he said the government will make sure that when the final report was issued, the South African public will be able to see what the commission said and what action is to be embarked upon.
“So, no one, no big name or small name or whoever, however they are connected, will be shielded. We can assure you of that,” said Ramaphosa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said the final report of the Madlanga Commission will be made public and that no one will be shielded from scrutiny
Image: GCIS
Responding to the main question by ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli on his reasons to withhold the interim Madlanga Commission report from the public, Ramaphosa said the commission has made recommendations with respect to matters where there was existence of prima facie evidence of wrongdoing.
He said the recommendation covered the referral of wrongdoing to the relevant institutions for immediate criminal investigation and prosecution where required, as well as the suspension of implicated individuals pending the outcome of further investigations.
“I directed the Minister of Police as well as the National Commissioner to constitute a special investigation task team reporting directly to the commissioner. The team will institute investigations against those identified by the commission for such investigations.”
Ramaphosa also said matters that required disciplinary action were currently being attended to by the relevant departments.
“Some are resulting in suspensions, and some are resulting in immediate disciplinary processes that are now underway,” he said
Ramaphosa stressed that the government will make sure that all the reports of the commission will be made public once the commission has submitted their final report.
“The commission has been given a tight time frame within which they should produce another interim report, (then) a final report.
“This will be subject to any advice from the commission itself or other considerations on whether the publication of any portions of the report may put persons who may have appeared before the commission in danger.”
However, Ramaphosa noted that already several people who appeared before the commission have been targeted and some of them have been in danger.
“So, the information will be made public subject to the advice and discussions with the commission as well. Throughout this, we have been guided by the fundamental principle of transparency.”