Following an investigation by former public protector Thuli Madonsela, a report titled ‘State of Capture’ was released in late 2016, and this started a process that would lead to the resignation of former president Jacob Zuma on 14 February 2018. Ironically, just five days before his resignation, Zuma signed and gazetted into being the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector, including Organs of State. This became known as the Zondo Commission after its head, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Since 2018, at enormous expense, the commission has been hard at work to reconstruct the ‘nine lost years’ under Zuma. By the time the final witness, President Cyril Ramaphosa, appeared on 11 and 12 August 2021, the commission had held 429 hearings, generated 777 videos, made 435 transcripts and received 421 affidavits. The affidavits made up 138 019 typed pages and the transcripts added another 76 157. The final report, with recommendations, should be available within the next two months.
UNDERSTANDING STATE CAPTURE
Although he signed the commission into existence following several court challenges, Zuma recently refused to comply as a witness before it, and this led to his 15-month jail sentence. His sentence, which he started serving in Estcourt Prison on 7 July, triggered widespread unrest and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng.
The term ‘state capture’ was first used in South Africa between 2013 and 2014, but it was coined by the World Bank around 2001 to describe how oligarchs controlled governments in the highly vulnerable, newly formed states of the former Eastern Bloc following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the USSR.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 10, 2021 من Farmer's Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 10, 2021 من Farmer's Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
