The South African Council of Churches (SACC) asked a panel of eminent South Africans, including former judge of the Constitutional Court Yvonne Mokgoro and chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission Brigalia Bam, to investigate allegations of state capture. This after a similar investigation by Gwede Mantashe, secretary general of the African National Congress (ANC), sank without trace. The SACC investigation informed the probe and subsequent report by Thuli Madonsela, the former public protector.
The report was released at the Regina Mundi Church in Soweto on Thursday. The church played an important role during the struggle against apartheid and became a symbolic refuge for those resisting the system.
News24's Mahlatse Gallens attended the event:
Anwa Dramat was the first head of the Hawks and was forced out for being too "independent".
The SACC investigation began straight after Mcebisi Jonas, who was fired as deputy minister of finance by President Jacob Zuma in April, revealed he was offered R600-million by the Guptas if he would accept the position of finance minister and influence the functioning of National Treasury.
Frank Chikane, who was director-general in Thabo Mbeki's presidency and was with him when Mantashe broke the news of the "recall" in September 2008, throwing serious shade:
This would have hurt, given Mandela's statement that if the ANC government should ever betray the country "the people should do to it what they did to the apartheid government".
State capture, patronage and cronyism runs deep . . .
It's been clear for more than a year that the battle between constitutionalists and rentseekers isn't merely fought on paper, but that people's physical safety is threatened:
This is a truly shocking revelation by a cleric:
We should revisit the "State of Capture" report:
Malusi Gigaba replaced Pravin Gordhan as minister of finance seven weeks ago. Gordhan became the face of the resistance against state capture and rentseeking. These tweets are a clear analysis of events which came to be known as "state capture":
Gigaba's moves are interesting:
Now the flavour of the moment: Brian Molefe, Eskom and Optimum:
Mpumlwana spoke very passionately about the urgent need for the ANC to self-correct. He emphasised that it wasn't a legal process, but one which provided an opportunity for people to come clean.