The African National Congress (ANC) has "decisively dealt" with fighting corruption as it heads towards President Jacob Zuma's first 100 days in office, party spokesperson Jessie Duarte said on Wednesday.

"Eradicating corruption, is one of the many areas we can highlight to show how we have performed," said Duarte,

"It also reflects on what the ANC expects of its cadres in its structures and those deployed in government and business."

Duarte said practical steps had been taken by Cabinet Ministers, Departments - such as Correctional Services, Home Affairs, Public Works, Water Affairs and Agriculture - as well as Premiers to ensure "clean governance".

Issues such as irregular procedures in tender procurements in Mpumulanga province and a Gauteng Member of the Executive Council's (MEC's) irregular procurement of a vehicle had been exposed.

"The ANC unapologetically encourages the exposure of tender manipulation by civil servants," said Duarte

She said Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's announcement that the National Treasury would set up a unit to monitor and investigate corruption in public procurement processes was a "step forward" in ending the granting of tenders for the "benefit of family and friends".

Duarte said all ANC members in government at provincial and national level, as well as councillors, had to comply with regulations pertaining to the declaring of gifts and interests in public and private companies.

"The privileges extended to all Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Legislatures, as well as MECs are intended to ensure that they are able to do their work efficiently and effectively," she said.

These ANC staff were expected to exercise their privileges "with humility".

Duarte said the ANC welcomed "robust and open" public debates about corruption. "This will strengthen our civil service."

She said institutions to complement the work of the police had "reached a certain level of maturity."

Bodies like the National Prosecuting Authority, the Auditor-General, the Public Protector, the South African Revenue Service, the Hawks and the Financial Intelligence Centre provided a "strong anticorruption capacity".

Duarte said "ordinary" people were often the most vulnerable to corruption.

This was often when they sought work or promotion at work; or tried to access services and infrastructure such as government grants, water, electricity, land and housing.

"Accordingly, we have a particular responsibility to protect the poor and the weak from the corrupt practices of those in powerful positions.

"The fraudulent procurement of houses, be it by a civil servant or a citizen who corrupts an official with a bribe, is corruption on the part of both parties."

She said the same applied to people who fraudulently claimed social grants and officials who approved those grants.

Duarte said corruption could affect service delivery and so had to be rooted out.

"Corruption of any type diminishes the scale and speed with which we can deliver services to the most vulnerable in our society.

"Politics and public service are a calling."