‘No one will be shielded’: Ramaphosa vows no protection for those implicated in Madlanga commission

President Cyril Ramaphosa says no one implicated in the Madlanga commission of Inquiry into Alleged Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System will be shielded.

Addressing the National Assembly (NA) during a question-and-answer session on Thursday, Ramaphosa said authorities will act accordingly when the commission submits its recommendations.

Ramaphosa responds to concerns about interim report

The president was responding to uMkhonto weSizwe Party MP Des van Rooyen, who asked if he could assure the NA that none of the decisions to withhold the report or delay its publication are intended to protect politically connected individuals.

“I can give assurance that no one who’s either implicated or will be implicated will be shielded,” Ramaphosa said.

“And when the commission does its recommendations, we will act accordingly on those recommendations… No one, no big name or small name, or whoever, however they are connected, will be shielded.

Ramaphosa also reiterated that making the Madlanga commission’s interim report available to the public would be unfair for some of the witnesses.

This was in response to a question by ANC MP Mdumiseni Ntuli, who asked what his reasons are for deciding to withhold the report from the public.

The commission submitted the report on 17 December 2025.

“Beyond the referrals and recommendations that I have made public, it would be unfair to witnesses whose testimony is not complete or individuals against whom the commission has not made prima facie findings to publicise information at this stage,” Ramaphosa said.

“Furthermore, it may jeopardise investigations and lines of questioning of the commission to make unconcluded avenues of investigation public.”

He said all of the commission’s reports will be made public once the final report is submitted.

The second report will be submitted by 29 May.

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa extends Madlanga commission deadline by five months

National Water Crisis Committee

Touching on the country’s water issues, Ramaphosa said the newly established National Water Crisis Committee will be holding its first meeting on Wednesday, 18 April.

He said the committee is currently finalising the National Water Crisis Action Plan, which is expected to be completed by the end of March.

The president directed the establishment of the committee during his State of the Nation Address in February, aiming at addressing widespread water supply issues affecting the country.

He said the plan will focus on three priorities.

“The first is to address immediate challenges in municipality, water and sanitation delivery through a focus on a limited number of municipalities,” the president said.

“Secondly, to expedite institutional, financial as well as regulatory, systemic causes of the water crisis.”

The third priority is to attract investment in water infrastructure, increasing both public and private sector investment and involvement, Ramaphosa said.

Municipal failures and corruption blamed for water shortages

He admitted that the main causes of the water crisis are at the local government level.

Ramaphosa said maintenance of municipal water and sanitation infrastructure has been neglected in many of our municipalities over decades.

“There is therefore a huge backlog for the repair and refurbishment of water services.

“The situation has been exacerbated by a lack of capacity, organised crime, widespread theft of water infrastructure, corruption, poor billing and revenue management, illegal connections and water leaks.”

Ramaphosa said, where necessary, criminal charges will be laid against municipalities or municipal managers for contravening the requirements of the National Water Act.

ALSO READ: More than half of South Africans experience water outages

‘Heads must fall’

Asked by Building One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane who exactly will be fired if the people of Johannesburg don’t have water by the end of the year, the president assured him that heads will roll.

“We are putting the system in place and recalibrating it and the process, and then appoint the right people. If those people who are there are not going to be able to execute the processes that the National Water Crisis committee comes up with, of course, they will have to move out of the way,” Ramaphosa said.

“And they will be moved out of the way, because what comes first are the interests of the people of South Africa and Johannesburg. So, the National Water Crisis committee is going to be overseeing all that and making sure that the job gets done, and if it is not done, then obviously heads must fall.”

Promises of water reform

DA MP Stephen James Moore said many South Africans have been without secure water for years, with millions suffering.

Moore asked Ramaphosa if his Sona commitments were not another failed promise.

In response, the president said people expressed similar sentiments when the National Electricity Crisis Committee was formed, which has now led to the end of load shedding.

“People often want us to resolve problems and crises without approaching them in a systematic way. They always want us to rush in like a bull and knock everything out of place,” Ramaphosa said.

“The deputy president has been working on the water issue diligently, and together with all others, we’re going to bring together all the initiatives and efforts that have been put in place to make sure that this is not a bad promise… so it will happen; stand by and watch, and watch this space.”

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