President Cyril Ramaphosa says several laws have been introduced to parliament to stop corruption at the government level, with other laws also currently in the works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramaphosa admitted that through state capture, billions of rands worth of taxpayers’ money was stolen through government-led corruption with little to no public services provided. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, he said that progress has been made in tackling corruption through National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Hawks’ Integrated Task Force, with 9 cases currently in court, over 41 people and 12 companies accused. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, he said that a process has been implemented to recover the proceeds of crime, with over R5 billion traced and returned to the state. SARS has also collected unpaid taxes due to evidence presented at the State Capture Commission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“While a necessary part of our response to state capture is to hold those responsible accountable for their actions and to recover stolen money, we are also making far-reaching legislative and institutional changes to reduce the potential for corruption,” the President said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Eight of the 14 new laws or legislative amendments identified in our implementation plan have been approved by Cabinet and tabled in Parliament. These address areas such as public procurement, the involvement of politicians in administrative matters, the conduct of public servants, the intelligence services, money laundering and electoral reforms.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“A further six draft laws are in the process of public consultation with stakeholders<\/strong>. Further research is being done on some of the recommendations of the (State Capture) Commission, such as making the abuse of political power a criminal offence.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that the establishment of additional anti-corruption bodies is being considered, with part of this work being led by the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Laws<\/strong> already introduced <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Commission noted that the public procurement system was the main way that state resources were stolen, where state-owned enterprises (SOEs) with large budgets were targeted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In response, the government introduced the Public Procurement Bill to parliament in May 2023. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Wright-Rose Innes, the Bill will do away with the current decentralised procurement system and will apply to all entities that fall under the Public Finance Management Act and Municipal Finance Management Act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The bill wants to introduce a new Public Procurement Office, which will ensure procurement integrity, promote standardisation in procurement and have oversight of the implementation of the Bill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ramaphosa added that the new State-Owned Enterprises Bill will improve the oversight, transparency and accountability of SOEs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He also said that whistleblowers have a crucial role to play in exposing and ending state capture, with the Department of Justice and Correctional Services currently working on new laws to protect whistleblower safety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This includes protective measures, including state protection for whistleblowers and their family members if they or their property is in danger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The covering of whistleblower legal fees is also being considered for those fired or who faced financial detriment following their authentic disclosures of corruption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “These are just some of the actions that have been taken to give effect to the government\u2019s comprehensive and far-reaching response to the findings of the State Capture Commission. In the coming months, many of the processes underway will be completed and much more progress will be recorded,” Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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