IN QUOTES | Cyril Ramaphosa on vandalised schools and removing the ‘temptation for corruption’

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday more than 1,700 schools were vandalised and had equipment stolen since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

He called on local governments across the country to ensure repairs and maintenance of infrastructure.

He said this during a question and answer session with members of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).

He also spoke about the government’s efforts to fight corruption, and called for transparency.

Here are five responses from the president: 

Destroying public infrastructure is costly

“Commuter rail is a priority, schools are a priority and many areas where damage has taken place. We are facing enormous challenges of a fiscal nature. That is why when people damage public infrastructure they must realise that in the end it is easy to damage but to rebuild is much more expensive.”

More than 1,700 schools vandalised 

“The department of basic education reports that more than 1,700 schools across the country were vandalised or had equipment stolen since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown. KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Eastern Cape were the worse affected provinces.

“Responsibility for the maintenance and repair of these schools is the responsibility of the provincial departments of education.”

Eradicating corruption

“We want to remove the temptation for corruption. We want to remove corruption completely and therefore we want all levels of government to work transparently, to be accountable.”

Local government elections 

“The inquiry [led by justice Dikgang Moseneke] is expected to do three things. First, inquire into the conditions for free and fair elections; second, come up with findings after the inquiry; and thirdly, issue a report in which recommendations are set out concerning the likelihood the Electoral Commission (IEC) would be able to ensure the forthcoming government elections will be free and fair.

“Any possible postponement of elections is a matter on which the IEC will have to make a determination in terms of the provisions of the constitution and applicable legal prescripts.”

Fighting gender-based violence 

“We have introduced several innovative initiatives to facilitate access to support and justice. This includes an SMS notification system for applications for domestic violence protection orders that was launched at all district courts in January 2021. The Domestic Violence Amendment Bill, once passed, will make it possible for complainants to apply for protection orders online.”