Anti-apartheid activist Reverend Dr Allan Boesak has criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s handling of the Madlanga Commission’s interim report and suggested the president should consider resigning.
In an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Sunday, Boesak said Ramaphosa should fire officials implicated in criminal activities brought to light by both the Madlanga Commission and Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee investigating police corruption .
The commission identified prima facie evidence of criminal conduct and corruption, prompting referrals for criminal investigation and disciplinary action .
Boesak criticised the president for keeping the interim Madlanga report private and only relaying certain information from his own perspective instead of making it public .
He said he would tell Ramaphosa to fire “everybody who has been involved in criminal action that’s in your purview, that’s from the president’s office, right down” .
“I would even say to the president, ‘You have failed us at so many levels and in such a deep way in terms of what your office expects of you, and what your people expect and demand of you, that you should begin by resigning yourself,'” Boesak said .
He described the current government as “immoral” for “elevating people who celebrate, and profit, and benefit from genocide” .
Boesak called for South Africans to “stop what is happening right now, start from the very beginning” with a new conversation about governance and responsibility that is “not just democratically given by our people, but demanded by God” .
Political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu from the University of KwaZulu-Natal said Boesak has a point and that Ramaphosa has lost all credibility .
“His reluctance to be transparent regarding the interim report of the Madlanga commission suggests that he’s got something to hide and is protecting certain individuals,” Ndlovu said .
He cited the looting of Covid-19 funds, the 2021 riots, the Phala Phala matter, and the water crisis as failures of Ramaphosa’s administration .
“At this rate, Ramaphosa is making the Zuma presidency look good,” Ndlovu added .
Another analyst, Nkosikhulule Nyembezi, said many South Africans feel betrayed by the ANC’s reluctance to implement bold measures against corruption and maladministration .
“There is astonishment that President Ramaphosa and many in the ANC leadership blithely conceded to several administrative hurdles by subverting good governance and ethical leadership, instead of removing from government positions individuals implicated in corruption,” Nyembezi said .
He noted that many Struggle veterans privately agree with Boesak but do not add their voices publicly .
In January, Ramaphosa accepted the commission’s interim report and referred at least 14 high-ranking SAPS and Ekurhuleni officials for investigation after they were identified as possible wrongdoers . The president directed the Minister of Police and SAPS National Commissioner to constitute a special investigations task team .
The Presidency has been contacted for comment on Boesak’s remarks but has yet to respond .
