Sunday Times E-Edition

Q&A

With Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency hanging by a thread, one of the biggest concerns is: what will happen to the fight against corruption when he goes? Chris Barron asked justice minister RONALD LAMOLA ...

Are you concerned that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s resignation would be the end of the government’s anti-corruption drive?

Yes, obviously I am concerned. It is indeed a possibility. He has been in the forefront to allow law enforcement agencies to do their job without interference from anyone and to help them in their rebuilding, which included giving them resources and helping them to acquire the necessary skilled people with integrity to enable them to do their job.

How confident are you that the gains made in cleaning up and strengthening the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and Hawks won’t be reversed?

It’s difficult to predict what will happen. To fight corruption there needs to be political will. The president has proven clear political will through his actions to help institutions to fight corruption. He has allowed the law enforcement agencies to do their job in line with the constitution and the laws governing those institutions. I really can’t give any guarantee about what will happen if he goes.

How deeply entrenched is the culture of renewal in the NPA?

I believe efforts to build that culture are beginning to bear fruit. There are new senior managers and even a lot of good people who who were there before in the NPA, the SIU, the Hawks have found their feet again. The renewal impetus injected by the government has allowed such people to do what the country requires and to follow the laws of the country. So I do think a foundation has been laid.

Is it strong enough to withstand opposition to the fight against corruption?

I don’t know. I really can’t give that guarantee. But I believe that given some years to allow the president to cement the foundation and conclude the project of renewal those institutions would be able to withstand any change of political administration. But for that you need time. These institutions are just beginning to turn the corner

Do you regret that the renewal process hasn’t moved faster?

I think the process has moved as fast as the conditions and environment we’re in allow.

Given what’s happened now, don’t you think it should have been pushed with more urgency?

I think in the past three years we’ve done our best.

Is the NPA sufficiently insulated from possible political interference?

I think so. The constitution is very clear; the NPA Act is very clear in terms of that. But the key thing is you still need political will to fight corruption.

Should it have been made a Chapter 9 institution?

That’s not a panacea. They’d still need the lever of political will in terms of their budget. The key thing is that the current administration has put its money where its mouth is to enable the NPA to fight corruption.

Should the criminal justice system have been giving more support to the fight against corruption in Eskom?

I think the work that the NPA, SIU and the police are doing gradually is getting to a situation where we can say they’re giving support. We’ve seen people being arrested and prosecutions are happening.

Opinion

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2022-12-04T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-04T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://times-e-editions.pressreader.com/article/282033331222831

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