Johannesburg - Those responsible for state capture and corruption will be held accountable, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
The African National Congress would fight corruption across the country, he told thousands of supporters at the ANC's final May 8 elections rally at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg.
"Let us declare, here and now, that we will never surrender our freedom to corruption and state capture. We will not submit and we will not retreat. We will fight with every means at our disposal to ensure that those who occupy positions of authority serve only the public interest," said Ramaphosa.
Over the past year, the ANC had taken steps to fight corruption across society. "We are restoring the rule of law," he said.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) would be strengthened and their independence would be assured so that they could act against those who were corrupt without fear or favour.
"The Zondo Commission [of inquiry into state capture] is uncovering the nature and extent of state capture. We have done much to restore the credibility and effectiveness of the NPA, SARS [South African Revenue Service], SAPS, and the State Security Agency. But the road ahead is long, and there is still much more to do," Ramaphosa said.
ANC supporters at the Siyaqiba rally held at Ellis Park Stadium. Picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi/African News Agency(ANA)
"Resistance" was expected from those who had benefited from wrongdoing. "We are determined that those found guilty of corruption or involvement in state capture will not be allowed to occupy positions of responsibility, either in the ANC, in parliament, or in government," Ramaphosa said.
With only a couple of days to go before Wednesday's national and provincial elections, he urged voters to vote for the ANC, saying the "era of impunity" was over and the ANC was now entering the era of accountability.