State Capture

Madlanga Commission | Extraordinary measures are needed to tackle state capture: World Bank expert

State capture and the infiltration of criminal justice institutions are not uniquely South African problems. That’s according to World Bank Senior Financial Sector Specialist and Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) member, Laura Pop, who says the phenomenon is playing out across the globe. Pop was testifying at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday, drawing on her work in anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and asset recovery programmes across several countries. She […]

September 16, 2026 86

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OPINION | Whoever owns the data owns the truth: Capitec, the DA, and the quiet enclosure of South Africa’s information economy

In June 2024, in the aftermath of an election in which voter turnout fell to 58.57%, I argued that South Africa's democracy was in crisis, not simply because people had stopped voting, but because the alternatives on offer were themselves financed and shaped by the same captains of capital who had long protected the status quo. Parties like Rise Mzansi, ActionSA and BOSA, I maintained, were not vanguards of "new […]

September 15, 2026 69

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DIRCO clears High Commissioner over Zuma’s India trip

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) says it has found no evidence that South Africa’s High Commission in India facilitated a meeting between former President Jacob Zuma and controversial businessman, Ajay Gupta, during Zuma's visit to India. The department says the visit, which took place between 25 and 27 June, was supported through the "established protocol, administrative and logistical support ordinarily extended to former Presidents". This included airport […]

September 2, 2026 25

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Government to probe Zuma’s India trip after Gupta meeting

International Relations Minister, Ronald Lamola, says government will investigate former President Jacob Zuma’s recent trip to India after he was seen meeting with controversial businessman and fugitive, Ajay Gupta. A video showing Zuma alongside South Africa's High Commissioner to India, Anil Sooklal and Gupta at a temple surfaced this week, sparking renewed criticism over the former president's overseas visit. Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting in Pretoria with Poland's […]

July 2, 2026 78 1

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Batohi defends NPA record on TRC cases despite structural hurdles

Former National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Shamila Batohi, has defended the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) efforts to pursue justice in long-delayed apartheid-era cases, telling the TRC Cases Inquiry that meaningful progress was made despite deep institutional challenges. Batohi, who led the NPA from February 2019 until January 2026, testified before the inquiry chaired by Justice Sisi Khampepe, which is probing delays in prosecuting cases where amnesty was denied by […]

April 15, 2026 75