Zondo blasts the president

CRITICISM: REBUKE OVER MINISTERS PUT IN CABINET

- Faizel Patel

Former chief justice Raymond Zondo has expressed the pain he had to endure to swear in corrupt Cabinet ministers who had serious state capture findings against them. Zondo made the remarks on the sidelines of a South African Council of Churches anti-corruption summit.

Rampant corruption was revealed during the hearings before the commission, established in January 2018, and chaired by Zondo.

The commission, which cost close to R1 billion, wrapped up its proceedings with Zondo handing his final report to President Cyril Ramaphosa in June 2022.

About 1,400 individuals were implicated during the commission. It exposed corruption at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, State Security Agency, Eskom and the SABC, and called for prosecutions, further probes and systemic reforms.

More than 30 years after democracy, corruption has reached crippling levels, Zondo said.

He delivered a scathing rebuke to Ramaphosa about the ministers he appointed to be part of his Cabinet.