This inquiry is vital for SA
STATE CAPTURE: WILL IDENTIFY THOSE INVOLVED IN LOOTING THE PUBLIC PURSE
Vast amounts of state money have been siphoned off into the coffers of corrupt individuals.
Many observers have jaded views of the highly anticipated Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, with some already writing off its work and purpose. Why bother with commissions when their final recommendations can be snubbed by the government? With an amplified news cycle pointing to inefficiencies in SA, it can feel like the commission is just another talk shop. But I would argue that it’s not. Although the commission won’t lead to the criminal prosecution of wrongdoers, it has other ways of restoring justice. It’s a constitutional tool intended to find information, help us understand how bad things really are and identify individuals/ cliques who’ve been instrumental in looting the public purse.
It’s about giving South Africans an opportunity to hear first-hand from government officials who were loyal to the goal of making SA succeed, but suffered under the weight of state capture.
Many South Africans believe state capture is nothing but a fib. Revelations in media reports about how the Gupta family was SA’s de facto government – since its members made key policy decisions and the level of their brazenness in repurposing the state to line their pockets – are often met with scepticism.
There are politicians who still question the authenticity of the Gupta e-mail leaks and label media reports about state capture as “fake news” to delegitimise them.
What better way for South Africans to hear about an attempt to undermine their constitutional democracy than from former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas, former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor and former government spokesperson Themba Maseko?
They all blew the whistle on state capture when it wasn’t popular or safe to do so. They endured emotional distress and death threats as the capturers launched aggressive pushback campaigns.
Their testimonies to the commission contained several shocking revelations: the Guptas wanted to hijack SA’s nuclear energy programme to grow their stash of state-generated money from R6 billion in 2015 to R8 billion; the Guptas had the power to hire and fire government officials, aided by former president Jacob Zuma; and the Hawks deliberately tried to sabotage cases against the family.
The latter may be a key revelation, explaining the Hawks’ dithering on criminal prosecutions, despite the volume of information in the public domain about state capture.
The commission’s focus includes government departments and state-owned enterprises. What has been revealed by the #GuptaLeaks is probably the tip of the iceberg.
The broadness of the commission’s mandate brings hope it will gather enough evidence to create a clear picture of what we’re dealing with.
While the commission does its work, there should be efforts to reform law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system so the book can be thrown at those implicated in state capture.