President Cyril Ramaphosa has received the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council's final report after the council concluded its three-year term.
The council was established in 2022 to implement a strategy to reduce corruption and improve investor and public confidence in South Africa.
In his weekly letter, Ramaphosa said the report includes a recommendation to establish a “permanent, independent, overarching anti-corruption body”.
“The council recommends this body be known as the Office of Public Integrity and Anti-Corruption and its mandate be to prevent, investigate and remedy systemic corruption,” Ramaphosa said.
“The proposed body, which responds to one of the key recommendations of the state capture commission, would be expected to fight corruption and prevent it from happening.
“The report also makes recommendations on the strengthening and co-ordination of law enforcement agencies, enhanced co-ordination mechanisms among the law enforcement agencies, the use of artificial intelligence to prevent corruption and the establishment of an anti-corruption data sharing framework.”
The recommendations will be reviewed and tabled in cabinet.
Ramaphosa acknowledged the fight against crime and corruption is complex, saying it requires strengthening state capacity to combat it.
“We need to tackle public and private sector corruption with equal energy. Tax evasion, market manipulation, inflated contracts and tender collusion by businesses significantly harm our economy, yet often receive less attention than corruption in public institutions.
“Amid daily reports of alleged corruption, South Africans want to see action. They want to see more arrests and convictions.”
He welcomed the progress made by law enforcement agencies to root out corruption and financial irregularities in state-owned agencies while asserting that more convictions should be made.
“Corruption is much more than the result of the criminal intent of a few individuals, be they government officials, elected public representatives or businesspeople. It can become embedded in state institutions or business enterprises and manifest itself in practices and organisational culture. The success of our efforts relies on our ability to prevent corruption in the first place in state institutions, business enterprises or organs of civil society.”
TimesLIVE
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