Cabinet has welcomed the arrest of several individuals in connection with fraud, money laundering and corruption in the country.
These include former high ranking state and parastatal employees, some of whom face charges relating to the contravention of the Public Finance Management Act.
Addressing reporters during a post-Cabinet media briefing on Thursday, Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele, said the arrests “bear testimony to the fact that no one is above the law and that there is no space for dishonest employees in the public sector”.
Among those arrested is a Home Affairs official at the Desmond Tutu Refugee Reception Centre in Pretoria who allegedly accepted a bribe from a foreign national.
He said Cabinet also welcomed the progress being made on the extradition of the Gupta brothers, Rajesh and Atul, back to South Africa.
The pair was last week arrested in Dubai in the UAE after the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) had issued red notices.
The brothers are wanted in South Africa in connection with their alleged role in state capture, including fraud and money laundering.
Gungubele said discussions between law-enforcement agencies in the UAE and South Africa on their extradition are underway.
“Their arrest demonstrates government’s determination to fight crime and corruption without fear or favour.
“These arrests demonstrate that processes and mechanisms are working effectively to hold perpetrators accountable for their heinous actions and ensure that no one is above the law,” he said.
Cabinet condemns malicious damage
During the meeting, Cabinet also condemned the blatant attempt to undermine the country’s economy following the malicious damage to a cable at Unit 1 of Eskom’s Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga.
He said: “This was the fourth incident of suspected sabotage at a power station after similar incidents were reported at three other power stations in the past few weeks.
“The recent crime statistics are a reflection that we must do more as a society to make our communities safer. This reality reminds us that reducing crime is a societal responsibility and that all of us – including the police, political leaders, communities, families, business people, workers and civil society – should play our part in fighting crime”.
He said Cabinet was confident that the additional funds that have been prioritised by the Ministry of Police for a number of police stations that have a high number of murders, rapes and other violent crime and will help turn the tide and create safer communities for all.
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