CAPE TOWN, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- South African President Jacob Zuma on Friday refuted criticism against the government for failing to curb corruption, saying the government remains committed to fighting the scourge in all forms.
Statements by opposition parties casting doubt on the government's work in fighting corruption are "misleading and inaccurate," Zuma said in response to a parliamentary question about how he intends to deal with corruption which has permeated South Africa.
The government has dedicated a lot of efforts in combating corruption, both in the public and the private sector, Zuma said.
It is because of this that corruption has occupied a priority space in public dialogue, he said.
"The South African government adopted a multi-agency approach on which comprehensive anti-corruption architecture, composed of a range of institutions to address corruption from different angles, was created and sets the direction towards ensuring that a resilient anti-corruption system is in place," Zuma said.
A number of strategies to address corruption were subsequently developed, initiatives were launched and mechanisms established to expose corrupt practices in South Africa, according to Zuma.
Within the anti-corruption mechanism is the Anti-Corruption Inter-Ministerial Committee that is tasked to fight and eliminate corruption wherever it manifests itself, said Zuma.
Other measures strengthening the anti-corruption work of government include establishment and strengthening of anti-corruption agencies, Zuma said.
The government has also enacted various pieces of legislation that empower business, the government and non-governmental organizations to act against corruption, with the latest being the Protected Disclosures Amendment Act 2017, he said.
"All these measures elevate countering corruption to a national security priority," Zuma said.
"The fight against corruption is a continuous and dynamic process, which requires all citizens to be actively on-board," he stressed.