In a scathing assessment of what government has delivered in the 20 years since democracy, Ramphele said that a culture of corruption and impunity was "seeping through every level of government "and corroding our entire society".
She pointed to the exhorbitant spending at what she called President Jacob Zuma's "private palace" in Nkandla, irregular leases of police buildings and civil servants who do business with government as examples of this corruption.
It was estimated that South Africa loses R30-billion to corruption each year.
"Let us be clear. These are not just bumps on the road to a better future. These are not the inevitable pains of a transitional period. They are a betrayal of the founding principles of our democracy; a betrayal of what our brothers and sisters, our fathers and mothers fought and died for," she said.
"And yet, where is the sense of public outrage at how this corruption robs us of our future? Where are the voices calling out for urgent change? It is fear that keeps people silent."
Speaking at a press briefing held at the Wits Origins Centre on Thursday, Ramphele said that rich, poor, urban and rural South Africans were all held back by the same fear – that being critical of government or voting for a party that was not the ANC would affect their livelihods.
'Listening tour'
The briefing comes nine weeks after Ramphele launched the party political platform Agang SA and embarked on a "listening tour" of the country to find out how South Africans felt about the state of the nation.
Ramphele said people everywhere told her they were waiting for quality education for their children, effective healthcare, jobs, help to build homes, and to live in a decent and sustainable living environment.
But while they were desperate for change they were being held back by fear, she said, adding that poor communities feared losing their social grants while businesspeople and professionals feared offending those in authority if they complained about poor governance.
Ramphele referenced incidents in which businesses and business leaders, such as FNB for its "You Can Help" advertising campaign, which asked why more progress had not been made since democracy. Nedbank's Reuel Khoza, who made critical comments of the country's leadership in an annual report, had been castigated by the ruling party.
Evoking proud moments in South Africa's history, such as the women's march on the Union Buildings in 1956, Sharpeville and the Soweto Uprising, Ramphele said that South Africans during the struggle had overcome their own fear and acted, and that this had "unlocked their chains".
Ramphele said 20 years was too long to wait for quality education, an economy that creates opportunities for livelihoods, homes that allow families dignity, streets that are safe and a government that listens to people.