Zondo slams Ramaphosa: Cabinet picks undermine anti-corruption fight

Key topics: Zondo accuses Ramaphosa of undermining anti-corruption effortsCriticises Cabinet appointments of ministers he implicatedSays slow implementation shows lack of political willSign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.The auditorium doors will open for BNIC#2 on 10 September 2025 in Hermanus. For more information and tickets, click here..By Kerry Lanaghan.Former Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has launched an extraordinary public critique of President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of undermining the fight against corruption by appointing Cabinet ministers who were implicated in state capture.According to a report by The Citizen - speaking at the South African Council of Churches’ anti-corruption summit - Zondo recounted the personal anguish he endured swearing in ministers against whom his commission had made severe findings. “It was like the president was saying, ‘I don’t care what you have found about these people. I think they are good enough to be promoted,’” he told The Sunday Times.Zondo chaired the R1billion Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture from 2018 to 2022 and implicated over 1,400 individuals across state institutions, including Eskom, the State Security Agency, SABC, and PRASA. The commission’s final report recommended prosecutions and systemic reforms. However, three years later, Zondo is deeply frustrated with what he sees as selective and sluggish implementation.While the Presidency published a state capture implementation report in 2023 and Ramaphosa submitted a 76-page plan to Parliament in 2022, Zondo says actions speak louder than documentation. “My feelings are that people in South Africa have seen how slow the progress is with the implementation… even regarding those recommendations that are being implemented.”One of Zondo’s harshest criticisms is Ramaphosa’s inconsistent handling of cabinet ministers implicated in wrongdoing. He cited recent cases involving Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, currently on special leave, and the recently dismissed Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane.“What is the rule?” Zondo asked. “When do you get shifted to another department and continue to be a minister? When do you get out on special leave? When do you get removed?”He added, “There are many people who have no allegations of fraud or corruption hanging over their heads who qualify to be ministers. Even in the same party.”Zondo also cast doubt on the upcoming National Dialogue, questioning whether basic governance failures require such a forum. “I’m concerned about simple things that don’t need a National Dialogue - like having competent people with integrity in municipalities.”In response, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya downplayed the public critique, stating that Ramaphosa would not engage in a media spat with the former chief justice. “The president will respond directly to the former chief justice should he seek an opportunity to raise his issues through a direct and constructive engagement,” Magwenya said.Despite Ramaphosa’s past statements promising accountability for those involved in state capture, Zondo’s public rebuke underscores a growing perception that political will has faltered. For Zondo, integrity in high office is non-negotiable: “This is not the kind of leadership we need if we are going to fight corruption.”

Zondo slams Ramaphosa: Cabinet picks undermine anti-corruption fight

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