Legal analyst, Mpumelelo Zikalala, says that the state capture report has failed to live up to expectations. This follows the handing over of the final volumes, five and six, to President Cyril Ramaphosa, by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Wednesday, 22 June.
The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State, better known as the Zondo Commission, took four years to conclude its work of investigating the capture of parastatals, parliament, as well as a few high-profile private individuals including the President, among others. It is estimated to have cost the state over R 1 billion to run the commission.
However, Zikalala says that there are certain aspects of the state capture which were not investigated.
“The question that we wanted in South Africa, is did state capture exist? Who were the role players? But the most important one- which has not been answered by the report- is what then happened to the preventative measures, the recovery measures, and instruments that were applicable that ought to have done their job, as well as the law enforcement agencies – specifically the NPA.” commented Zikalala.
The legal analyst went on to say that the not having answers to these questions leaves the general public wondering whether we have an operational prosecuting authority or whether the law enforcement agencies that are captured, and moreover, if they are actually capable of doing their mandated duties.
PRESIDENT @CYRILRAMAPHOSA TO CONSIDER THE ZONDO COMMISSION REPORT IN ITS TOTALITY
The Presidency will therefore not respond at this stage to specific aspects of the Commission’s findings and recommendations. https://t.co/9sSXYMK2td#StateCaptureReport pic.twitter.com/0uD3CaX4OE
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) June 23, 2022
