Former president of the Black Management Forum Bonang Mohale says State Capture has left many ordinary South Africans feeling completely helpless.
In 2018, former President Jacob Zuma established the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture which has been probing the extent of corruption in both the public and private sectors in South Africa.
Several people, including government and former government officials, have been implicated in State Capture, some of which relate to the Gupta family’s alleged manipulation of Zuma in the appointment of people to senior positions.
Many of them have appeared before the commission which will virtually brief the media on its work on Monday.
Mohale says the economic implications of State Capture have severely affected the poorest of the poor.
He says, “Corruption in both the private and public sectors have a detrimental effect on government efforts to deliver effective services to the people. It’s important to adhere to good governance and create an environment where corruption cannot flourish. Good governance means stakeholders increasingly demand accountability, that’s why we demand action as citizens begin to lose faith in the ability or willingness of their elected officials.”
SACP calls on Zuma to cooperate with State Capture Commission
The South African Communist Party (SACP) has called on everyone, including former President Jacob Zuma, to cooperate with the State Capture Commission.
SACP Secretary-General, Blade Nzimande, says the party’s Central Committee has denounced all those attempting to undermine the credibility of the inquiry.
The SACP has prioritised the fight against State Capture in its 2021 centenary programme of action as it says, the phenomenon has cost the country and many Black executives dearly.
The governing ANC’s alliance partner’s comments come as Zuma, through his lawyers, informed the inquiry that their client will no longer participate in the commission.
This follows the failure to get Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to recuse himself from hearing further testimony from him.
“Everyone, including former President Zuma, is being urged by ourselves, as the SACP, and in terms of the decisions made by the alliance to cooperate with the Zondo Commission. In fact, the Central Committee went further and denounced all those who are trying to discredit the Zondo Commission that we must not do that so the answer is simple. We are urging everyone irrespective of your current or former position or station in life to cooperate with the commission the Zondo Commission that is our position.”
Some legal experts have described former President Jacob Zuma’s refusal to participate in the proceedings at the Constitutional Court as a snub to the legal system and disrespect for the rule of law.
On Monday, Zuma indicated that he will not take part in any proceeding at the Constitutional Court in an application brought by the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
