Ramaphosa vows to battle corruption

It wasn't all serious as Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation in a televised address. Photo / AP

South Africa's newly elected President has pledged to take on corruption in his first speech since his scandal-hit predecessor was forced to stand down.

Cyril Ramaphosa said he would try "not to disappoint" the people of South Africa as he was sworn in yesterday as the nation's fifth president since its first free elections in 1994.

On Thursday, a defiant Jacob Zuma, the former President, bowed to pressure from his ruling African National Congress party and handed in his resignation after nine years that saw voters' faith in the Government plummet amid multiple corruption allegations.

"Issues of corruption, issues of how we can straighten out our state-owned enterprises, and how we deal with state capture are on our radar screen," said Ramaphosa during a 15-minute address to Parliament in Cape Town.

"South Africa must come first in everything that we all do."

During Ramaphosa's televised speech, news channels flashed headlines that Ajay Gupta, a member of the family accused of using their proximity to Zuma and his allies to build their business empire, was now a wanted man. The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing.

The Hawks, an elite police force, said they had issued a warrant for Gupta's arrest, but that he had "surrounded himself with bodyguards" and gone into hiding. Officials have ordered border posts to keep him from fleeing the country, a Hawks spokesman said.

"Those protecting him must know they are protecting a wanted suspect," the spokesman said, according to Business Day. "They will be charged with aiding and abetting a suspect."

Gupta's warrant was issued in connection with an investigation into the alleged siphoning of R220 million ($25.6m) in public funds meant to benefit poor black farmers for the family's personal use, including to help pay for lavish touches at a R30m family wedding. Several other suspects in the case have also been arrested, including Varun Gupta, Ajay Gupta's nephew, who appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court on charges of corruption, fraud and theft yesterday. He was released on bail.

Ramaphosa, who was until yesterday the Deputy President, had been in a power struggle with Zuma since 2014. Presenting himself as a reformer who would tackle corruption, Ramaphosa beat Zuma's chosen successor — Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, his former wife — in a vote to become the new ANC party leader.

The spectacle of police going after the Guptas in such a pubic manner — the family lived in a well-known Johannesburg compound for years, allegedly trying to peddle influence in Zuma's inner circle — sent a strong signal to South Africans that Ramaphosa's promises were not a bluff.

However, untangling the damage that Zuma did to the party and the country won't be easy, observers caution.

People will be watching Ramaphosa's next steps closely, particularly when it comes to managing the office of the National Prosecuting Authority, which is considering whether or not to reinstate nearly 800 counts of corruption, fraud and racketeering against Zuma.