'SA criminal justice system needs to be restored' - Ramaphosa

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly committed to a comprehensive restoration of the country's criminal justice system, positioning institutional reform as central to addressing the governance challenges that have deterred foreign investment for over a decade. Speaking at News24's On the Record Summit in Cape Town, Ramaphosa acknowledged that endemic crime and systemic corruption continue to undermine citizen confidence and, by extension, investor appetite for the region's largest economy. The President's emphasis on the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry—a body tasked with investigating criminality, political interference, and corruption within the South African Police Service (SAPS) and related state institutions—represents a pivotal moment for South Africa's institutional credibility. For European entrepreneurs and investors already operating in the country, this signals a potential turning point in a decade marked by state capture allegations, service delivery failures, and security concerns that have weighed on business sentiment. However, the gap between rhetorical commitment and operational execution remains substantial. South Africa's criminal justice challenges are deeply rooted: according to recent data, South Africa experiences approximately 20,000 murders annually—among the world's highest rates outside active conflict zones. Simultaneously, conviction rates remain dismally low, with backlogs in the court system stretching case resolutions across years rather than