CAPE TOWN, March 20 (Xinhua) -- President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday proclaimed a high-level directorate to address allegations emerging from current and recent commissions of inquiry, and corruption-related crimes in general.
The new directorate in the Office of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) will investigate common law offences including fraud, forgery, uttering, theft and any offence involving dishonesty, the president said.
The directorate will also attend to statutory offences including but not limited to contraventions of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, the Prevention of Organized Crime Act, the Public Finance Management Act and the Financial Intelligence Center Act, among others, according to the president.
In addition, the directorate will investigate any unlawful activities relating to serious, high profile or complex corruption, particularly arising from the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, he said.
State capture refers to alleged collaboration between the controversial Indian Gupta family and a number of senior government officials in looting from the state coffers.
The latest move came as the Zondo Commission was focusing its attention on allegations of corruption relating to electricity utility Eskom, blamed for ongoing widespread power blackouts that are crippling the country.
Eskom is the first of a number of state-owned entities being probed by the commission, chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Eskom has been implicated in a series of corruption scandals linked with the Gupta family.
Corruption and poor management are believed to be the major factors that have led to the worsening power crisis in South Africa.
With the establishment of the new directorate, Ramaphosa has intensified the government's campaign against corruption and state capture, his spokesperson Khusela Diko said.
