Bain & Co and Nedbank – both implicated in the Zondo commission’s first report on the three years of hearings into allegations of state capture – have both denied any wrongdoing on their part. Bain is said to have been involved in the weakening of Sars, while Nedbank and Regiments Capital allegedly manoeuvred a dubious interest-swap agreement with Acsa.
The first report of the Zondo commission, published on 4 January 2022, zooms in on the dealings that Transnet, Eskom and SAA had with Gupta-owned TNA Media. In the case of Eskom, it highlights the major procurement policy breaches surrounding three contracts entered into between the power utility and TNA and how they did not yield benefits for Eskom, despite being characterised as opportunities for exposure through the TNA Breakfast Briefings on SABC’s Morning Live..
The February 2011 transfer of Themba Maseko from the position of CEO of the GCIS) to the Department of Public Service and Administration was one of the earliest acts of state capture by the Gupta family. So writes Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in the state capture commission’s first report. Zondo describes Maseko as “one of the few government officials who was willing to stand up to the pressure exerted by the Gupta family”.
Released just before the local government elections of 3 November 2021, the latest Governance Performance Index from Good Governance Africa shows that in some areas, negative audit outcomes and repeated promises are having no effect on improving the lives of residents.
Swift action must be taken against those who benefited from an “elaborate corruption scheme” involving an airports project of the North West department of transport, according to the first report of the state capture commission, released in early January. Furthermore, an existing 6-year-old case into the matter must be wrapped up as soon as possible.
Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has determined, as shown in the first report of the commission of inquiry into state capture, that former South African Airways chairperson Dudu Myeni and her fellow board member and counterpart at the airline’s subsidiary SAA Technical, Yakhe Kwinana, oversaw a state-owned entity riddled with corruption during their terms, and fuelled a culture of bullying, fear and purging of executives who did not agree with their agenda.
Corruption Watch welcomes the commitment to transparency in making the just-released Zondo commission report available to the public. The organisation also commended recommendations such as an independent anti-corruption agency and increased protection for whistle-blowers, but expressed reservations about the length of time that will no doubt ensue before any real action or consequences can be seen.
The Johannesburg Metro Police Department wants you to become an anti-corruption ambassador. The organisation’s Internal Affairs Directorate has launched an initiative encouraging residents to blow the whistle on officers breaking the law, with the ambition of becoming ‘a JMPD that is free of corruption’.
Two senior officials at Nketoana Local Municipality have had their day in court. One, the former CFO of Nketoana, was sentenced to eight years in prison for money laundering and fraud. This sentence brings to an end a string of financial misdemeanours and hopping from one job to another without facing any significant consequences. The other, the current CFO, made his first appearance on fraud charges.