PPF WELCOMES PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA’s LETTER AND CALLS FOR PUBLISHING OF THE SIX WEEKLY SIU REPORT AND OPEN EVALUATION OF TENDERS

TO: ALL MEDIA HOUSES

FROM: THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY

SUBJECT: PPF WELCOMES PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA’s LETTER AND CALLS FOR PUBLISHING OF THE SIX WEEKLY SIU REPORT AND OPEN EVALUATION OF TENDERS

DATE: 24 AUGUST 2020

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The Progressive Professionals Forum (PPF) welcomes the courageous, honesty and open evaluation and assessment the President of the African National Congress, Cyril Ramaphosa, completed of the ANC as a political party and of the conduct of its elected representatives and public officials. The president of the ANC in an open letter has identified the ill which has set in the State and by extension the Ruling Party.

The PPF as a non-racial, non-sexist advocacy group representing progressive professionals, entrepreneurs and academics holds the view that the State and private sector must work together in achieving inclusive economic. This social compact and partnership which we advocate has come under intense pressure with the ongoing and more recent COVID corruption allegations against elected political leaders and officials in all levels of government. “ The damage caused and impact is beyond financial mismanagement and corruption, poor or no service delivery but equally important, severe damage has been caused to the confidence ordinary South Africans and investors have in our State and our elected leaders. This of course has a direct impact on the success of the public private partnerships the State is promoting as an intervention to save our economy “ says Kashif Wicomb President of the PPF.

The PPF agrees with President Ramaphosa that a higher standard of behaviour applies to elected leaders and those in positions of influence.
We support transparency in Government in all its spheres and more so in the procurement divisions. “All Bid Evaluation Committee sessions can and must be open to the public. This should ensure that the evaluation process and decisions are fair and in the interest of the country and not a few connected individuals.”

The PPF welcomes the firm interventions announced by President Ramaphosa on combatting corruption in his address to the nation on the 23rd July 2020. We believe, now more than ever, that our leaders in government must act decisively & with purpose. Our country can no longer afford to craft the best policies, the greatest intervention strategies, the best committees & commissions but fall short on the implementation thereof and on consequence management. The flow of money must be tracked and all those implicated must be investigated by a joint task team of SARS, the Priority Crimes Unit, the National Prosecuting Authority & all other investigative arms of the State.

The PPF calls for President Ramaphosa together with Advocate Andy Mothibi, the Head of the Special Investigation Unit, to publish the six weekly interim report President Ramaphosa has called for in order that we can track the performance and the fight against corruption.

The PPF as an organization calls on all its members who by and large occupy senior positions in the public and private sector and all South Africans to heed President Ramaphosa call for a “whole of society “response to corruption. “Now is the time to unite as freedom loving South Africans as we did to fight and combat apartheid so we must unite and fight the scourge of corruption which has engulfed our country “says Wicomb.
ENDS

For media enquiries please make contact with Sithembiso Kubheka (PFF Secretary General) on 083 353 5124 or Kashif Wicomb on 082 415 6634.

About the PPF
The PPF is a non-racial, non –sexist professional body which seeks to attract professionals who wish to give back, contribute to the public discourse, influence society and instil patriotism in the citizens of South Africa in an organised, focussed manner.
The PPF therefore attracts and seeks to attract multi-disciplinary professionals, academia, intelligentsia and entrepreneurs who align themselves with progressive movements and who aspire to progressive ideals such as those enshrined in the Freedom Charter and the Preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and who have come together with a conviction to contribute towards the growth of our society and our country.