Thus far and no further

THULI Madonsela made no findings in her report on our lamentable “State of Capture” but left plenty for the country to chew on. The outlines had been sketched already, but the startling detail of corroborating evidence leaves little to the imagination.

Depressing as the full sordid extent of these dealings may be, this week has also been remarkable for the awakening of civic spirit that spilled onto the streets of Tshwane and elsewhere.

Whoever has made themselves guilty of serving private interests instead of those of the public, at the expense of the public purse, should receive the message loud and clear: thus far and no further.

That is a significant step towards liberating the state from the clutches of an avaricious few, but it is only the beginning.

ANC MP Chana Pilane-Majake inadvertently illustrated this when she declared during questioning of prosecutions boss Shaun Abrahams in Parliament yesterday that, as a member of the NPA and a civil servant, he was carrying out the mandate of the governing party.

This demonstrates the extent to which the party has erased the boundary between itself and the state, discarding the principle that it should serve only the national interest. It is hardly surprising that public servants would have difficulty defying the instructions of their political masters.

A new culture of public service will have to be built from scratch, but it is clear the politicians alone are not up to the task.

The spirit of civic activism that bloomed in Tshwane this week must continue for the long haul.