After all, he did not make a habit of going to the alternative Cabinet meeting-place at the Gupta family’s Saxonwold mansion, and there are no reports of payola being made to him in cash and spirited into the boot of his car. Or even of him being gifted a Louis Vuitton man bag.

But his testimony is likely to be the most important in terms of answering questions of political culpability during the era of State Capture. It is unlikely that former president Jacob Zuma, who was head of state through the era, will appear before the State Capture Inquiry. So, the big questions will fall to Ramaphosa.

He will open with a statement on Wednesday, April 28, when he starts two days of testimony as ANC president and he is likely to treat it as a profound national moment of mea culpa for the damage that State Capture did to South Africa.

While the different factions of the ANC have criticised the Zondo Commission, Ramaphosa has been steadfast in his support. He has set aside four full days to give testimony – a sign of political seriousness and support for the process.

His opening statement is likely to be more contrite than the testimony of ANC Chairperson Gwede Mantashe, who told the commission that the ANC had not been captured, although people in it may have been. National Assembly Speaker, Thandi Modise, stepped further towards accepting some culpability when she apologised and said that Parliament could have done more than it did to stop the process from becoming ineluctable by acting earlier.

Ramaphosa is likely to face the questions that often surface in the public square: what did you do, what did you say, and why didn’t you do more?

Appointed as ANC deputy president in 2012 and South Africa’s president two years later, he was in office through the years when State Capture ran rampant through South Africa.

Daily Maverick