The foundation said South Africa has arrived at a “fork in the road”.
The Walter & Albertina Sisulu Foundation has slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s response to the growing crisis of corruption in South Africa’s law enforcement and justice sectors, calling his actions “bureaucratic theatre” and demanding his immediate resignation.
The foundation said the country is once again at a crossroads, not merely because of revelations of entrenched corruption within the police service, the nexus of law enforcement, the justice system and politics, but because of “how the executive responds when state institutions rot from the inside”.
Praising Mkhwanazi
The foundation was responding to Ramaphosa’s decision to place Mchunu on a leave of absence after allegations made against him by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The foundation praised the “principled and courageous stand taken by Mkhwanazi”.
“His voice has cut through the fear and silence that often protect those in power, and his integrity offers a rare and much-needed example of what public service should look like”.
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Slamming Ramaphosa
It said Mkhwanazi’s stance is a vital turning point in the national fight against corruption, organized crime, human trafficking, money laundering, extortion, and systemic violence.
“It has also exposed the full scale of State capture 2.0: no longer confined to procurement and tenders but deeply embedded in the very organs meant to safeguard the rule of law. This is not merely a scandal, it is a crisis of governance,” the foundation said.
“And yet, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s response, after his silence for a full week, is depressingly predictable: a suspended minister, a politically cautious acting appointment, and yet another commission of inquiry. Yes, these moves are legally permissible—but legality is not legitimacy.
“For a nation battered by scandal fatigue and broken promises, this worn-out script no longer inspires confidence—it provokes outrage,” the foundation said.
‘Another commission’
The foundation also criticised Ramaphosa’s decision to launch yet another commission of inquiry, this time chaired by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga.
It accused Ramaphosa of governance through symbolism rather than substance.
“This is not new terrain—it is recycled theatre. We’ve seen this pattern repeatedly: announce a high-profile inquiry, delay real consequences, delegate moral responsibility to judges, and preserve executive distance from political accountability.”
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Governance
It questioned whether the president governs with “courage or caution, with conviction or calculation”.
“The moment demands clarity and decisiveness, not symbolic commissions and opaque Cabinet shuffles. This is a moment for bold action, not bureaucratic theatre.
“Parliament must rise to the occasion, not as a rubber stamp, but as a constitutional counterweight. Civil society, faith leaders, and business must also reclaim their voice — not as spectators of elite negotiation, but as defenders of the democratic promise,” it said.
Phala Phala
The foundation also touched on the Phala Phala farmgate scandal.
“The silence is deafening. For a president who came to power promising clean governance and institutional renewal, the failure to come clean on Phala Phala undermines not only his moral authority but the very integrity of the constitutional order he swore to uphold,” the foundation said.
“In constitutional democracies, public trust is not built on technical compliance alone. It is built on visible, principled, and transparent leadership. The president may argue that his actions are constitutional. But they are narrowly construed.
However, the wider context tells a story of institutional fatigue, public disillusionment, and a Presidency that increasingly governs through commissions rather than consequences and positive tangible results,” it said.
Resign
The foundation said South Africa has arrived at a “fork in the road”.
“The lack of leadership is not only apparent, but appalling, and too great a risk for the country in this hour of crisis, and for the future challenges awaiting us, especially now that the country is undergoing a “soft coup” toward recolonisation through him as a Trojan Horse of the former oppressors,” the foundation said.
“It will be better if he resigns with immediate effect before he causes more harm to the fragile ethical fabric of our nation, as he lately enjoys manipulating the country on behalf of his handlers,” the foundation
“What he is doing is a direct spit in the face of our revolutionary forefathers and contrary to the values, ethical paradigm and the hard-earned legacy of Walter and Albertina Sisulu. Once again, the Sisulu Foundation supports the work of General Mkhwanazi,” it said.
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