A festival of corruption: What the Zondo Commission revealed about South Africa
The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture - commonly known as the Zondo Commission - concluded its public hearings last week with the appearance of President Cyril Ramaphosa. It wrapped up three years of hearings which saw testimony, evidence and allegations that revealed how pervasive grand corruption in South Africa has become.
The rattle and hum of the commission and its progress has been a constant for South Africans for three years. And where the marquee testimony by figures like Ramaphosa, former president Jacob Zuma, and ministers like Pravin Gordhan and Nhlanhla Nene held the nation's attention, it was the testimony by ordinary civil servants and bureaucrats that helped guide the citizenry through the darkness.
We heard how Prasa and Transnet were corrupted, sat transfixed as ministers' bodyguards told of visits to the Guptas' Saxonwold command centre and gasped as we heard how billions of rands were spirited out of the country.
At the centre of events were Zuma, the Guptas and the ANC, as well as a network of ministers and corrupt officials that milked the state purse. They enabled a mafia state, buttressed by neutered institutions that ensured impunity and gave them free rein. Zuma very early on showed that he was never going to co-operate with the commission, and attempts by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo - who chaired the commission - to secure it, were rebuffed repeatedly.
Zuma will be judged harshly. He was the enabler of the network, and he refused to account for what happened during his tenure as head of state.
The report will now be finalised and eventually handed to Ramaphosa, who will then make it public.
In this week’s Friday Briefing, News24's specialist legal writer Karyn Maughan says the commission has been worth it - but that the recommendations need to be implemented.
Gordhan - who Zuma fired as finance minister in 2017 - writes about lessons learnt and warns that many capture "miscreants" are still around. Mavuso Msimang, chairperson of the board of Corruption Watch and an ANC veteran, explains why the commission was such an important event.
When the commission sat for the first time on 20 August 2018, I was there (as was Karyn). Today, 20 August 2021, marks exactly three years since the commission commenced with its work. I write about the festival of corruption it exposed and what I think it tells us about politics and society.
Best,
Pieter du Toit
Assistant Editor: In-depth news
SA cannot afford to ignore the Zondo Commission: Here are 3 big reasons why
After many years of seemingly pointless inquiries, many South Africans may be tempted to write off the Zondo Commission as a colossal waste of time and money. But, writes Karyn Maughan, that would be a huge mistake.
Miscreants of corruption still in the system and propaganda, demagoguery remain
Whether the Zondo Commission will have any impact is dependent on the ability of the final report to connect new "dots" that emerged over the past three years and if there will be consequences for defying the rule of law, writes Pravin Gordhan.
South Africa needed to see its filthy linen being hung out.
While South Africans got to see the country's dirty linen aired at the Zondo Commission, there were some notable absentees such as the Gupta family, Jacob Zuma himself and accounting auditing firms like KPMG, which facilitated the fraud as well as consulting firms McKinsey & Company and Bain, writes Mavuso Msimang.
A festival of corruption: State capture and the Zondo Commission dishes out hard truths about SA
Last week saw the Zondo Commission conclude public hearings into the years of state capture. Pieter du Toit writes that the proceedings of the past three years have taught South Africans some hard truths about their country, corruption and the political class.
'I regret public servants didn't testify at Zondo commission' - Gupta-whistle blower Themba Maseko
Following the closure of testimony at the Zondo Commission, James de Villiers spoke to six contributors about whether it was with the time, effort and money spent, and what recommendations the commission is likely to make.
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