The Democratic Alliance (DA) is adamant that President Cyril Ramaphosa is directly and personally responsible for the country’s plunge in rankings in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

According to the latest global ranking of perceptions of corruption, South Africa has fallen to its lowest level ever recorded, scoring 41 out of 100 on the globally respected index.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said on Tuesday that according to the rankings, the endemic corruption of the Ramaphosa administration had reduced the country to a “flawed democracy”.

Steenhuisen said that this “crisis of corruption”, which was having a severely negative impact on investment and job creation, was epitomised by the latest scandal involving Deputy President Paul Mashatile who serves at the discretion of Ramaphosa.

Last week, it was revealed that during Mashatile’s tenure as Human Settlements MEC in Gauteng, his department paid R134-million to a company owned by African National Congress donor Edwin Sodi for a housing project in Diepsloot that did not deliver a single house.

This is in addition to millions of rands in loans granted by the Gauteng provincial government to a company owned by Nceba Nonkwelo, Mashatile’s son-in-law.

Steenhuisen said that instead of taking firm action against Mashatile, based on reports of a pattern of corruption and capture that even exceeded those involving former President Jacob Zuma, Rampahosa has cowered away from it.

“Just like Ramaphosa is now protecting Mashatile, the party also shielded Zuma for decades from consequences for his corruption, as recently admitted by Fikile Mbalula. It was only when Zuma started posing an electoral threat, that the ANC suddenly decided to act against him. It appears that leaders in the ANC, like Zuma and Mashatile, are free to loot as much as they want, as long as they don’t break ranks from the party,” said Steenhuisen.

The DA is of the view that South Africa’s fall in the CPI ranking confirms that Ramaphosa has betrayed the anti-corruption promises he made before the State Capture Commission.

“He has consistently shielded fellow ANC cadres implicated before the commission. He has consistently failed to act against members of his own Cabinet who are implicated in brazen acts of corruption, including Minister Blade Nzimande and Deputy President Mashatile,” said Steenhuisen.