South Africa\u2019s Deputy President David Mabuza said the ruling party must rid itself of corrupt members, throwing his weight behind the party\u2019s anti-graft drive.<\/p>\n
The ruling African National Congress party\u2019s leaders must back President Cyril Ramaphosa\u2019s anti-graft stance, his deputy said in an open letter published in the Sunday Times. South Africa\u2019s governing party need to \u201cdraw the line in the sand against corruption,\u201d Mabuza wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe perception that we are corrupt is as real and severe as the prevailing onslaught on the image of the ANC,\u201d Mabuza said.<\/p>\n
Ramaphosa last month said\u00a0corruption\u00a0in Africa\u2019s most industrialized economy had become endemic in the 108-year-old party that led the fight against white-minority rule and has held power since the country\u2019s first\u00a0multi-<\/span>racial elections in 1994.<\/p>\n Graft flourished during the nine-year rule of Ramaphosa\u2019s predecessor, Jacob Zuma, and government estimates that more than R500 billion\u00a0 ($30 billion) was probably looted from state coffers during the period.<\/p>\n Currently the government is probing suspect fraudulent contracts worth more than R5 billion for goods and services to tackle the Covid-19 epidemic.<\/p>\n
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