Speeches

Message on behalf of Government delivered by the Hon AC Nel, MP, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, at the Final Close-Out Meeting of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC) on 29 August 2025 at the Premier Hotel, Ekurhuleni

Programme Director, Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of NACAC, Members of Council, Colleagues, Distinguished Guests,
I kindly ask that all of us rise, in body or in spirit, to recite the Preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

“We, the people of South Africa,
Recognise the injustices of our past;
Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land;
Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and
Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to ­
Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights;
Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law;
Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and
Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.
May God protect our people.
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika. Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso.
God seën Suid-Afrika. God bless South Africa.
Mudzimu fhatutshedza Afurika. Hosi katekisa Afrika.”

Corruption is fundamentally inimical to the realisation of the vision outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution.

Therefore, it is both an honour and a solemn responsibility to address you today on behalf of the Government of South Africa, at this final meeting of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council.

Honouring NACAC’s Contribution

Since its appointment in September 2022, the Council has shouldered a heavy mandate: to advise on the implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS), to strengthen the architecture of our anti-corruption institutions, and to ensure that the lessons of the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture are not lost.

In three years, NACAC has delivered:

• Comprehensive research on the drivers of systemic corruption;
• Wide-ranging consultations with government, civil society, labour, business, academia and international partners;
• Seven strategic advisories to the President, addressing whistle-blower protection, procurement reform, political party funding, and the professionalisation of the state;
• National anti-corruption dialogues, including the groundbreaking Youth Dialogue in 2024; and
• This final, evidence-based report, a blueprint for building integrity into our democracy.

As President Cyril Ramaphosa said yesterday:
“The report, observations and recommendations clearly demonstrate the extensive work and significant thought that NACAC has applied to these challenges.
NACAC has given full effect to its mandate and has provided a firm, evidence-based foundation to take forward a comprehensive response to corruption.”

Key Recommendations

The report makes bold recommendations. Yesterday the President described them as “revolutionary”.

Chief among them is the establishment of a permanent, independent Office of Public Integrity and Anti-Corruption (OPI), ideally entrenched in Chapter 9 of the Constitution.
This body would absorb and build on the Special Investigating Unit’s strengths, while adding powers of systemic audit, binding remedial action, whistle-blower protection, and civil asset recovery.

The Council has also recommended:

• Strengthening Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs): clearer mandates for the NPA’s Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) and the Hawks; transparent leadership appointments; and proper resourcing for prosecutors, investigators and the courts.
• Harnessing technology: AI-driven anomaly detection, integrated data sharing, and vigilance against deepfakes and digital disinformation.
• Whistle-blower protection: urgent reforms to criminalise retaliation, provide legal and psychosocial support, and establish interim protection through the SIU until the OPI is in place.
• Political integrity and procurement reform: tightening the Political Party Funding Act, revising the Public Procurement framework, and embedding open data standards.

These recommendations resonate with our international obligations under the UN Convention Against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.

Government’s Commitment

The recommendations before us will now be carefully considered and processed by Cabinet.

President Ramaphosa committed yesterday that:
“The observations and recommendations will, as a matter of priority, receive the attention of the National Executive and the relevant institutions.”
We must be clear, decisive, and act with a sense of urgency:

• The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development is already preparing draft legislation on whistle-blower protection which will be presented to Cabinet in November 2025.
• Based on engagements with the Council, the Department is also preparing proposals regarding the architecture of our anti-corruption machinery. This will include consideration of Council’s recommendation regarding embedding the OPI.
• Parliament has enacted the NPA Amendment Act, giving permanence to the IDAC, and the Public Procurement Act, which must now be operationalised with integrity safeguards.

These are important steps, but much remains to be done. As NACAC warns, momentum must not be lost.

Yesterday, President Ramaphosa emphasised that:
“While much of our attention is paid to efforts to detect and act against corruption, the success of our efforts relies on our ability to prevent corruption in the first place.
We need to build transparent, accountable and ethical institutions – both public and private – in which corruption is unable to take root. We need to build a society characterised by responsibility and integrity.”

Whole-of-Society Approach

NACAC has consistently reminded us that corruption is not government’s problem alone.
It is a whole-of-society challenge. Business, labour, faith communities, academia, traditional leaders, and youth must all be partners in this fight.
The dialogues convened by NACAC proved the appetite for such collaboration.
The youth pledge against corruption, the civil society partnerships, the involvement of women’s organisations, and the participation of international partners—all are evidence that the South African people are ready to stand for integrity.
Our task now is to ensure that government leads with courage, coherence, and accountability.

Conclusion

Compatriots, corruption has inflicted deep wounds on our democracy.
It has stolen resources from the poor, undermined the state’s ability to deliver services, and eroded trust in institutions.

The urgency of action is underscored by the August 2025 IPSOS survey on What Worries the World.

• 80 percent of South Africans believe that our country is heading in the wrong direction.
• For 65 percent of South African unemployment remains their most serious and pressing concern.
• 55 percent of South African rate corruption as a concern. Worryingly, an eight percent increase since the July 2025 survey.
• Crime and violence are a concern for 52 percent.
• While poverty and inequality follow with 33 percent.

Therefore, today we pledge that the work of NACAC cannot gather dust on a shelf.
Government commits to act—swiftly, transparently, and decisively—on these recommendations.

On behalf of the South African Government, I thank the Chairperson, Professor Firoz Cachalia, the Council members, and all who contributed to this process.
Your work has strengthened the foundations of our democracy.

Let us ensure that this close-out is not an ending, but the beginning of a new chapter: one in which corruption is no longer tolerated, integrity is celebrated, and every citizen can believe once again in the promise of the vision outlined in the Preamble to our Constitution.

I thank you.