Jacob Zuma jail sentence

Jacob Zuma is set to recieve a bull as a gift from ANC councillors. Image: GCIS/ Flickr

State Capture: Jacob Zuma mentioned nearly 200 times in report

The first part of the State Capture Commission’s report portrays Jacob Zuma as having been a central figure in grand looting

Jacob Zuma jail sentence

Jacob Zuma is set to recieve a bull as a gift from ANC councillors. Image: GCIS/ Flickr

Finally! More than four years since its work began, the State Capture Commission’s report has been released… the first part that is. The commission’s chairperson Acting Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo handed the 874-page report to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday, 4 January 2022. It is now available on the Presidency’s website.

The report names and shames those who took part in the great state capture project, chief among them being former president Jacob Zuma, who is mentioned a whopping 193 times.

The first part of the report zeroes in on the following: South African Airways (SAA) and its subsidiaries including SAA Technical and SAA Express, the Gupta-owned The New Age media entity, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) as well as public procurement.

Only a third of the report has been released and Zuma is already a key feature in its contents, which is very telling.

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STATE CAPTURE REPORT: WHERE EXACTLY DOES JACOB ZUMA FEATURE?

Frankly, it comes as no surprise that Jacob Zuma is the unrivalled star of the State Capture Commission’s report: It was his alleged role in grand corruption, together with his friends, the Gupta family, which warranted even an investigation by former public protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela.

As to where and how Zuma fits into the picture as far as the first part of the report is concerned, he is essentially considered a central figure who used his allies within the said entities and departments, to pursue his interests.

While Zuma’s role is undoubtedly critical in how state capture played itself out over the years, he was essentially following the instructions of the Gupta family, who were found to only be looking out for their business interests.

From having found to have instructed then minister in the presidency Collins Chabane in 2010 to remove GCIS head Themba Maseko, to using his close ally Dudu Myeni to advance certain interests at South African Airways (SAA). The commission also found that Zuma contributed towards dismantling SARS, when it was headed by Tom Moyane.

“The Sars evidence is a clear example of how the private sector colluded with the executive, including President Zuma, to capture an institution that was highly regarded internationally and render it ineffective.”

State Capture Commission’s report