Ramaphosa confirms under oath that he will defy Zondo over cadre deployment corruption

22 August 2022

In response to the court action launched by the DA to abolish cadre deployment corruption, President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed under oath that he intends to defy the Zondo Commission’s finding that the African National Congress’ (ANC) cadre deployment is unconstitutional and illegal.

In an extraordinary affidavit, Ramaphosa revealed that he regards the Zondo Commission’s findings as “not binding” upon him. In the affidavit, which was drawn up by the Office of the State Attorney using taxpayer money, Ramaphosa vigorously defends and justifies the cadre deployment policy of his political party.

There can be no clearer example of the way in which ANC cadre deployment has erased the constitutionally-mandated separation between party and state than the sight of the President of the Republic abusing taxpayer resources to endorse and defend a corrupt policy of a political party. The President does so knowing full well that the cadre deployment policy does not fulfil any legitimate objective of the government he leads, but he nonetheless defends it on taxpayer dime because it does fulfil the objective of the ANC to “control all levers of state power.”

It is shockingly inappropriate for the President to abuse state resources in this way. That is why the DA will be submitting detailed parliamentary questions to expose exactly how much taxpayer money Ramaphosa is wasting in defence of cadre corruption. Once we have this information, we will rigorously hold the President to account for this flagrant political abuse of public money.

Ramaphosa’s desperate attempt to protect cadre deployment corruption at all costs also confirms why the DA’s court case is so vitally important. We now have it under oath that Ramaphosa, his government and his party all intend to defy the Commission’s findings against cadre deployment.

This makes it clear that the DA is the last line of defence for all South Africans who wish to see an end to cadre deployment, corruption and state capture. The DA will not let our country down. We will not rest until Ramaphosa’s cadre corruption is declared unconstitutional, illegal and abolished once and for all.

Issued by Leon Schreiber, DA Shadow Minister for Public Service and Administration, 22 August 2022