Zondo Commission will be 'final washing machine' that assists in cleansing the state - Ramaphosa

• President Cyril Ramaphosa is appearing before the State Capture Inquiry.
• Ramaphosa says the commission will be the "final washing machine" that will assist in cleansing the state.
• He says he will await the outcome of the commission before taking action against those accused of wrongdoing.

President Cyril Ramaphosa believes the State Capture Inquiry will be the "final washing machine" that will assist in cleansing the state and various agencies, adding that it will identify those who have committed wrongdoing.

Ramaphosa continued his testimony at the State Capture Inquiry on Thursday.

During his testimony, Ramaphosa failed to say why he appointed certain politicians to office despite serious allegations against them.

Instead, he told acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, chair of the commission, that he would be guided by his findings.

Advocate Paul Pretorius SC, who led Ramaphosa's evidence, asked why the president appointed David Mahlobo as a deputy minister in 2019 despite serious allegations against him.

Mahlobo was the minister of intelligence from 2014 until 2017. He has been accused, among other things, of using the State Security Agency (SSA) for the political interests of former president Jacob Zuma.

Pretorius said Mahlobo's appointment was not a "mistake or lapse" but "a deliberate decision on your (Ramaphosa's) part".

Responding, Ramaphosa said: "Much of what the commission is doing and will make findings on will be, in my view, the final guide on how we will be able to deal with persons or people, and in this regard, I have, I want to wait for the outcome".

In evaluating the commission's report, the president said he will be better placed to take a variety of actions. 

Ramaphosa said he viewed the work of the commission "very seriously" and would take its findings seriously.

Pretorius also asked why Ramaphosa redeployed Arthur Fraser as correctional services head in 2018 despite accusations against him related to the SSA. Fraser was the head of the SSA.

The advocate also asked Ramaphosa if he was aware of the allegations against Fraser.

"Yes, some of them," Ramaphosa said.

"And also in his regard, I have been waiting for a more full and complete picture, which this commission is going to assist me with, to be able to make a fuller determination," he said.

The inquiry has previously heard evidence of allegations of impropriety and wrongdoing against Mahlobo and Fraser.

An unidentified witness, going by the pseudonym Dorothy, told the commission she was instructed to drop off R1.5 million at the Cape Town residence of Mahlobo in 2017.

Former minister Sydney Mufamadi, who headed a high-level panel review on the SSA, former acting director-general Loyiso Jafta and at least two other SSA operatives implicated Fraser in the alleged wrongdoing.

Fraser was accused of nepotism, corruption and the misappropriation of hundreds of millions of rands of state money. He has denied all allegations against him and has opened cases of perjury in response.