Cape Town – Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has called all those implicated in state capture, following a trove of emails, to back the Commission of Inquiry to reveal the truth.
He told Parliament on Wednesday, during a scheduled oral reply session, that President Jacob Zuma was in consultation with his lawyers on the process to appoint such an inquiry.
Zuma has told Parliament in the past he was not opposed to the inquiry, but was against the instruction by former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela on the model to follow to appoint such an inquiry.
Only the president was allowed to appoint a commission of inquiry.
In her State of Capture report Madonsela has asked Zuma to get Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to appoint a single judge to lead the inquiry.
Zuma has taken the report on review and it will be heard in court soon.
In his oral reply Ramaphosa said the whole issue of state capture has raised serious concern for the government.
He said the appointment of the commission of inquiry would create an opportunity for everyone implicated to clear their names.
“The commission of inquiry is a great opportunity that all of us in South Africa should grab and those whose names are mentioned should grab and explain themselves,” he said.
The Guptas have been linked to state capture.
But the family has consistently denied allegations against them.
Ramaphosa said the sooner the commission of inquiry was appointed the better. He said this needed to happen as soon as consultations have been concluded.