The president made the comments on Monday evening as he closed the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) Lekgotla, which took place over the weekend.
FILE: President Cyril Ramaphosa attends a special NEC meeting in Cape Town on 21 May 2019. Picture: EWN
JOHANNESBURG – African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa said the work currently being done by law enforcement agencies was commendable.
Ramaphosa made the comments on Monday evening as he closed the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) Lekgotla, which took place over the weekend.
The president’s views came off the back of a series of arrests by the Hawks of officials implicated in corruption.
Former ANC MP Vincent Smith, former Mangaung mayor Olly Mlamleli, and ANC-linked businessman Edward Sodi were among those facing criminal charges.
Ramaphosa said high levels of gender-based violence and corruption were a huge and unnecessary cost to the country’s social and economic fabric.
He said the NEC meeting, which was also attended by former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe, affirmed the work being done to clamp down on crime.
“The work that is being done by law enforcement agencies at the moment is commendable and we reaffirm that we must leave no stone unturned in dealing with crime and corruption.”
Ramaphosa also said the Lekgotla agreed on the role of employees of the state.
“In this regard, the Lekgotla reaffirmed the position of the ANC and government that employees of the state should not conduct business with government,” he said.
But it seemed the contentious issue of politically connected people doing business with government remained a touchy subject, with the president saying the Lekgotla agreed to discuss it at a later stage.
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