Johannesburg - Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has welcomed the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as the new president of the African National Congress (ANC), saying that he was more likely than any other candidate to tackle state capture, corruption and maladministration in government.
"Of all the contenders for the ANC leadership, it was Ramaphosa who appears most willing to acknowledge and tackle the corruption scourge that has cost our nation dearly over the past decade under Jacob Zuma's rule," Outa's chief executive, Wayne Duvenage, said.
Ramaphosa won with 2 440 votes to Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma's 2 261 votes to succeed Zuma in a hotly contested election held at the party's 54th national conference in Nasrec, Johannesburg.
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But Duvenage said that Ramaphosa's win did not mean that the fight against corruption is now over because the ANC's internal election battle shows that the party is still riven with factions and the state capture group remains extremely powerful.
"Ramaphosa’s first real test in the anti-corruption war will be the appointment of a National Director of Public Prosecutions. This is an urgent and crucial matter and will give a clear indication of Ramaphosa's ability and willingness to clean up," Duvenage said.
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"We will work with those in authority who are willing to exercise the moral courage to hold corrupt leadership to account. This we believe has a greater chance of becoming a reality, especially in the [National Prosecutions Authority] and the Hawks, now that Cyril Ramaphosa is in the driving seat of the ruling party."
Ramaphosa would lead the party while Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza was elected as his deputy, Gwede Manatshe as national chairperson, Free State Premier Ace Magashule as secretary general, Paul Mashatile as treasurer-general, and Jessie Duarte retaining her deputy secretary-general position.