The Zondo commission at a glance:
For three years the commission of inquiry into state capture has consumed South African public life. Set up to investigate the systematic sale and manipulation of the country’s institutions for private gain, we have heard testimony that will likely permanently alter its political landscape.
Endless subplots have swirled around it, from trivial marital disputes in the Gigaba household to the jailing of a former president.
It is that man, Jacob Zuma, who has inevitably served as the
2 November 2016
The public protector’s State of Capture report is released. Then-public protector Thuli Madonsea publishes the State of Capture report detailing the systematic leveraging of state institutions to serve private interests. In her remedial action she orders that the president initiate a commission of inquiry within 30 days. The commission would be chaired by a judge selected by the chief justice.
14 December 2017
Pretoria high court compels former president Jacob Zuma to acquiesce.
The high court in Pretoria sets aside then-president Jacob Zuma’s application against the report and orders him to appoint a commission within 30 days. Reacting to the ruling, Madonsela says: “If someone says your house is burning, honestly, you’ve got to sort that out. Find out [if] it is true.”
20 August 2018 It begins.
Chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Zondo opens the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector Including Organs of State.
21 August 2018
Willie Mathebula lays bare ‘the rules of the game’.
The treasury’s acting chief procurement officer serves as the commission’s first witness and is tasked with laying out the nitty-gritty of government procurement processes.
24 August 2018
‘Looting R6-billion from state is not enough.’
Former deputy minister of finance Mcebisi Jonas blows up in the headlines in 2016 when he claims that he rejected a R600-million bribe from the Gupta family. In the commission hotseat he makes the equally extraordinary claim that not only did Ajay Gupta threaten to kill him but insisted that he would not stop at looting R6-billion from the national fiscus.
13 September 2018
Zondo denies Guptas leave to cross-examine.
The chairperson declares that the Gupta brothers will not be able to cross-examine witnesses if they are not prepared to return to South Africa.
12 November 2018
Barbara Hogan takes the stand. The former public enterprises minister delivers her anticipated “explosive” testimony.
19 November 2018
Pravin Gordhan provides testimony.
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin villainous spectre of the piece. He has challenged the validity of the commission from the moment he was ordered to establish it by former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s State of Capture report in 2016.
But at every point he has found himself stumped by the judiciary, first in his attempts to halt proceedings and then to wiggle out of them. It is that sequence of events that led to a historic Constitutional Court decision to have him imprisoned, a move that reverberated across the land in the form of looting and unrest.
Gordhan urges the commission to “connect the dots”.
17 January 2019
Angelo Agrizzi shakes up state capture.
The former Bosasa chief operating officer begins his infamous shift at the commission. As Sarah Smit wrote at the time, his testimony “represented a major divergence from the well-worn narrative that the capture of the state was steered solely by the Guptas”.
22 February 2019
Zondo commission switches to state capture at Eskom.
Focus changes to the state entity and for weeks the corruption in its boardrooms is laid bare.
15 July 2019
Star witness makes an appearance.
Former president Jacob Zuma appears before the commission for five days. His testimony includes claims that he and his family have faced death threats.
19 July 2019
Zuma wants out of Zondo commission.
Through his legal counsel, Zuma indicates that he does not want to take part in the commission any further, arguing that he has been “relentlessly” cross-examined.
7 October 2019
Duduzane Zuma fields questions about Saxonwold meeting.
The former president’s son is questioned about his decision to hold a meeting with Mcebisi Jonas and controversial businessman Fana Hlongwane at the Gupta residence.
24 February 2020
State capture commission granted a 13-month extension. The Zondo commission granted a “final extension” to finish its work by the Pretoria high court.
4 November 2020
Dudu Myeni chooses silence on SAA capture.
The former South African Airways board chairperson evokes her privilege not to incriminate herself in allegations, with her legal team claiming she has an axe hanging over her head.
16 November 2020
Commission hears Zuma’s application for recusal.
The former president requests Zondo to recuse himself for the former president’s evidence because of a “reasonable apprehension of bias”.
19 November 2020
Zondo dismisses Zuma’s recusal application.
The former president’s request is dismissed.
The narratives outside of Zuma were equally fascinating and were arguably epitomised by the cross-examination of former Bosasa boss Angelo Agrizzi, through which South Africans learned the lurid means through which the private sector can flourish in a corrupt environment.
Now it is finally coming to an end. Last week the commission was granted a fifth and (presumably) final extension. Chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo now has until the end of December to compile his report and present it to President Cyril
Ramaphosa. Despite the respite it is still a herculean task that confronts him. He must comb through thousands of hours of testimony to compile his findings and establish a constructive set of recommendations.
While his life is presently difficult we have endeavoured to make yours considerably easier. Luke Feltham has compiled a timeline that represents the major events, testimonies and controversies of the commission. Think of it as a personal tour through the run-up to and the last three years in Parktown.