Parliament says it’s satisfied that it’s done all it could to get answers on alleged state capture within Government. This, on the eve of the start of the Commission of Inquiry into state capture to be led by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Parliament had set up at least four portfolio committee inquiries last year to probe allegations at the Departments of Public Enterprises, Mineral Resources, Home Affairs and Transport. It handed over evidence gathered to Justice Zondo in May.
At their core the allegations center around former President Jacob Zuma’s relationship with brothers Ajay and Atul Gupta.
It’s claimed the Guptas leveraged their networks and proximity to the former President to swindle billions of rand out of state-owned entities such as Eskom and Transnet as well as Provincial government departments in the Free State and North West.
The Commission of Inquiry into State Capture is set to officially get underway on Monday morning.
Parliament’s chair of committees, oversight and ICT, Cedric Frolick, says he is satisfied with the legislature’s contribution in uncovering the extent of state capture in government.
“As an independent arm of the state, it was incumbent on parliament as an institution to oversee executive action and also to call executive members to account for issues that are in the public domain. And I believe we’ve done what we could,” says Frolick.
The video below explore some of the allegations that have been made and key witnesses expected to testify:
