President Cyril Ramaphosa says the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC) has recommended a new anti-corruption body to tackle systemic graft. In his weekly letter, he notes the council’s proposal for a permanent, independent Office of Public Integrity and Anti-Corruption to prevent, investigate and remedy corruption across the state and private sector. The plan answers a key State Capture Commission recommendation and aims to close loopholes that enabled kickbacks, rigged tenders and patronage networks.
Prevention and Prosecution, Not Headlines
Ramaphosa stresses that the fight against corruption is bigger than courtroom wins. “Fighting corruption extends way beyond putting culprits in the dock,” he writes, arguing for institutional reform that changes practices and culture in organisations. Still, he says investigators are moving: the Hawks and the Special Investigating Unit are probing alleged graft at the Post Office, Postbank and SASSA, irregularities at water entities, an allegedly corrupt fuel tender, and cases at municipalities. Arrests linked to Eskom, the SAPS, Transnet and local government show cases are advancing.
Smarter Tools and Stronger Coordination
The NACAC report urges stronger coordination among law-enforcement agencies, an anti-corruption data-sharing framework and the use of Artificial Intelligence to prevent graft before it starts. The new anti-corruption body would drive both prevention and enforcement, while ensuring business crimes—like tax evasion, market manipulation, inflated contracts and tender collusion—receive equal focus alongside public-sector corruption.
What Happens Next
Ramaphosa says relevant departments will review the recommendations for cabinet to consider. He frames the task as long-term: dismantle entrenched patronage systems, build state capacity for complex cases and plug regulatory gaps. If adopted, the new anti-corruption body could hard-wire prevention into the system while pushing priority prosecutions—turning public anger over state capture into durable reform.
