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As the first of three reports from the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture was handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday, our nation must now embark on the arduous journey of ridding our country of impunity and political unaccountability by charging the accused, placing them behind bars, and eradicating the scourge of ANC corruption once and for all.

I call on President Ramaphosa to urgently table the first Zondo Report in Parliament so that the legislative wing of our constitutional democracy can get to work studying its findings and taking the necessary remedial action.

The devastating fire at the National Assembly over the past 48 hours may have damaged the brick and mortar of the building, but Parliament and its duty to the people of South Africa must remain strong and effective as we enter a crucial period in post-democratic history, both for political accountability and constitutional democracy.

For far too long the ANC’s pervasive and insidious style of corruption and tender manipulation, aided and justified by the party’s cadre deployment policy, has hollowed out our public service, awarded tenders to friends and family, and robbed taxpayers of the services for which they continue to pay.

But, more importantly, the ANC’s culture of political unaccountability and impunity must fall if we are to set a precedent to deter the wholesale capture of the state by politicians ever again.

Together with the DA’s Shadow Cabinet, I have begun studying the reports extensively to determine what action needs to be taken in this regard. Ministry by ministry, department by department, and individual by individual, we will ensure that a culture of accountability is restored in South Africa.

The DA will not bow to threats of political terrorism by those who seek to evade scrutiny and prosecution. Whether it be alleged acts of sabotage on our buildings and institutions, incitement to violence by politicians and their ilk, or any other attempts to derail political accountability, we will fight to the very end to ensure that South Africa has a government of transparency and integrity, based on the founding principles of our constitutional democracy.

South Africans have seen countless Commissions of Inquiry, investigations, and reports over the years which have led to no prosecutions and no consequences for those implicated.

The DA will ensure that Judge Raymond Zondo’s findings, after a four-year-long Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, are implemented.

South Africans deserves justice for the estimated R1 trillion looted through ANC corruption over the past decade and the subsequent decline of our country and its people in the shadow of political greed.

The Zondo Reports must spell the end of political unaccountability and cadre deployment in South Africa once and for all.

Issued by Leader of the Democratic Alliance John Steenhuisen