'ANC is a crime syndicate masquerading as a political party’: DA and UDM weigh in on Zondo report

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Opposition political parties the DA and UDM have reacted to the third volume of the state capture report.

The commission of inquiry into state capture handed the report, which focuses exclusively on Bosasa-related evidence, to the presidency this week.

Former president Jacob Zuma, mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe, former minister Nomvula Mokonyane and the late Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson are among the prominent names implicated in the third volume of the report.

The report details the alleged corruption model used by the Bosasa group of companies to remain in business by keeping the ANC in power.

It also showed how Zuma, Mokonyane and Mantashe were implicated in the Bosasa graft.

However, Zuma and Mantashe have denied any involvement in the corruption.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said the report was the most damning confirmation yet, saying the ANC is nothing more than an organised crime syndicate masquerading as a political party.

“The damning findings contained in the third volume of the report make it more urgent than ever that all South Africans unite behind the DA’s pending parliamentary motion of no confidence in the entire cabinet,” he said in a statement.

Steenhuisen said the three reports released so far confirm that the ANC itself is the true cause of state capture in SA and that it should be removed from political power.

He said President Cyril Ramaphosa should act against implicated officials.

“For President Ramaphosa, the moment of truth has arrived. Will he hold his own political party and his numerous political allies implicated in corruption by the report to account?” said Steenhuisen.

“Will he fire the cabinet that has failed our country? Will he put the interests of justice and of South Africans before all else, or will he once again sacrifice SA’s needs at the altar of ANC unity?

“For the sake of SA, it is time for Ramaphosa to choose our country over the criminal syndicate masquerading as a political party.”

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said “comrades in corruption” cannot preside over the implementation of the commission’s findings and recommendations.

“Since the ruling party and some of its leadership play centre stage in these reports, there can be no doubt that there will be no political will in government to give expression to the Zondo commission’s findings and recommendations,” said Holomisa.

He said it would be advisable to have an external body, comprising all political parties and other stakeholders, take over this task.

“The ANC and some of its leaders have been beneficiaries of this looting, they have been bankrolled by Bosasa, as well as through the systematic pillaging of our SOEs.

“No-one in the ruling party can say that they did not know. This while other parties had to scratch the bottom of the barrel to compete on an unlevel political playing field.

“We cannot wait until October for Ramaphosa to apply his mind. He does not qualify to hold the country at ransom until then as he was part of the machinery that benefited from the looting,” Holomisa said.

He called for the leaders of all opposition parties in parliament to meet as soon as possible to discuss the matter and come up with a concerted response and plan of action.