Ramaphosa gives SIU green light to probe corruption at RAF, Alexcor graft

President Cyril Ramaphosa has the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) permission to investigate corruption allegations in the affairs of the Road Accident Fund (RAF), Alexkor SOC Limited, and the Overstrand Local Municipality.

This was announced by the unit in a brief statement released on Friday.

It said that Ramaphosa has signed three proclamations authorising the SIU to: “look into transactions that took place between 01 April 2018 and 10 December 2021, and transactions that either took place before April 2021 or after 10 December 2021 but relevant to, connected with the same persons, entities or contracts being investigated” at RAF.

It will also focus on activities of: “corruption, and maladministration in respect of the approval, allocation or payment of housing subsidies and allocation of houses in Overstrand, and look at maladministration in respect of marketing, valuation, sale and beneficiation of diamonds, pursuant to agreements concluded between Alexcor and service providers.”

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Evidence pointing to criminal conduct will be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), as well as the Hawks in the South African Police Service (SAPS) for further action.

Ramaphosa’s slow response, NPA troubles could derail anti-graft plan

Anti-corruption activists have expressed concern that Ramaphosa’s slow response on reports, coupled with uncertainty at the National Prosecuting Authority could take the wind out of the sails of the national campaign against graft.

With the state having splurged more than R57 billion on state capture-related contracts, anti-corruption experts have expressed concern at the possibility Ramaphosa will take months to apply his mind before acting on the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture report, due to be handed to him next month.

Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who has interviewed more than 278 witnesses and collected 159 109 pages of evidence, will on 1 January hand over his report to Ramaphosa.

It implicates several high-profile individuals, including ANC bigwigs.

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Corruption Watch executive director David Lewis said: “Let’s see whether heads are going to roll after the president is handed the report by the acting chief justice.

“The concern is that the president has a history of acting quite slowly on reports, because when a matter is submitted to him, he takes a long time to apply his mind to it.

“People implicated by the Zondo commission may try to interdict the report from being released, which might put the cat among the pigeons.”

-Additional report by Brian Sokutu