NEWS & ANALYSIS

VBS scandal: Culprits must face the music - Cyril Ramaphosa

President says those who do wrong against the people of SA must know that there will be consequences

VBS scandal: Those involved must face the music, says Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa wants developments around the VBS scandal to be dealt with swiftly, adding that all the individuals implicated should face the music.

The president said this on Saturday during his address at the Fundraising Gala Dinner hosted by the ANC KwaZulu-Natal Musa Dladla Region.

South Africa was being looked at by international investors which is why it was important that issues such as corruption were dealt with speed, Ramaphosa said.

He said the VBS saga was concerning just as the Steinhoff scandal that broke out last year.

"We need to speed up the process of ensuring that those who have done wrong against our people should be made to account without delay," he said.

Ramaphosa said dealing with corruption was also one of the ways of building a strong foundation for South Africa.

"If people have done wrong against the people of South Africa they must know that there will be consequences and that the consequences are going to be quite harsh against them," he said.

Ramaphosa pointed out that it hurts the people when they see individuals who are implicated in corrupt activities carrying on with their lives as though nothing had happened.

"We say that must come to an end, we must act with speed against people who do wrong things," he reiterated.

During his address Ramaphosa also encouraged those in attendance to invest in the economy in order to open doors for the poor and create jobs.

"We call on you you in progressive business to invest more in the economy as well in order to create job, to drastically decrease poverty," he said.

"We want to work together with business and act in unison to silence the sceptics and affirm that South Africa will succeed under the ANC and that the objectives of national democratic revolution will be achieved," he said.

Ramaphosa said the government was doing all it could to focus on what could generate growth and create jobs in the country saying it was for that reason that government had also embarked on a hundred billion dollar investment drive.

"We are confident of the success of this investment drive because of the overall positive move that has engulfed our country since the ANC Nasrec conference," he said.

News24