President Cyril Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Khusela Diko, and her husband King Madzikane II Diko, said they accepted that years of state scandal had created an atmosphere of public distrust and that their engaging in a contract with the Gauteng health department had been an error of judgment.
They issued a statement on Wednesday, two days after Diko temporarily stepped down from her role in the presidency amid an outcry over a contract between the department and Royal Bacha projects.
In the letter, the couple insisted that there was nothing improper about the contract to supply personal protective equipment (PPE) to the health department, but said they were nonetheless seeking to cancel it.
The king was furthermore stepping back from several positions he holds.
"Despite the absence of any illegality and confirmation that no public funds were ever paid to Royal Bhaca Projects, details of which will be further ventilated by the investigations, the matter continues to draw outrage from across society," the couple said.
The Dikos said that for more than a decade, South Africa has suffered due to state capture, adding that corruption had undermined the state's ability to deliver services and robbed the poor.
"Although there was no corruption in the bidding and subsequent awarding of the PPE contract to Royal Bhaca Projects, we accept that years of cronyism have created an environment of mistrust and suspicion when individuals, who are close to political office and influence, are seen to be benefiting from the state in ways that may be unethical.
The couple said that they "have attempted to rectify this matter by seeking to cancel the contract," and regretted "the error of judgement that led Royal Bhaca to seek to do business with this department in the first place."
- African News Agency (ANA)
