President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa’s public procurement system needs deep and urgent reform if the country is to root out widespread misconduct and corruption.
Addressing the ANC’s 5th National General Council in Boksburg on Monday, the President said work is already under way, with National Treasury preparing to implement the new Public Procurement Act. The legislation will introduce an updated framework and establish a Public Procurement Office.
Ramaphosa stressed that the system must support real economic empowerment, not enable intermediaries who add no value.
“We need to ensure that procurement is used as an instrument to build black- and women-owned companies that produce the products and provide the services that government needs. Too many tenders are issued to ‘middlemen’ who do not have the relevant competence,” he said.
He warned that outsourcing core government functions has weakened state capacity and opened the door to manipulation.
“This is a waste of public funds, encourages corruption and does not advance real economic empowerment. Outsourcing opens the door to corruption, with many cases of tender manipulation, bribery, overpricing and use of front companies,” Ramaphosa added.
The President said fixing procurement is only one part of the broader fight against corruption. He emphasised that strengthening the criminal justice system remains central to restoring public confidence.
Photo: @MYANC/ X [screenshot]
