The Constitutional Court judgment against former president Jacob Zuma, and the strengthening of key institutions such as the South African Revenue Service and the National Prosecuting Authority, showing early signals of success in the fight against State Capture.
First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.
State Capture eviscerated the very organs of state that were meant to enforce the law and raise revenue for service delivery. Now these institutions are being restored.
Acting Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe’s judgment in Jacob Zuma’s trial for contempt of court sent a firm signal that the State Capture years are coming to an end.
The judgment, sentencing Zuma to 15 months’ imprisonment for defying the court’s order to appear at the State Capture Commission, may be only the trailer for Zuma’s corruption trial, but it demonstrated very firmly that he is not above the law – the first principle to establish if State Capture and those who perpetrated it are to be dealt with and the corrupted institutions cleansed.
Meanwhile, the damage done to state institutions such as the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) during the Zuma presidency, in an effort to stymie their capacity to…