BALDWIN NDABA
Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and his team have done South Africa a great service.
This was the view of civil society organisation Outa, after Justice Zondo released his final report on State Capture to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria last night.
Rudie Heyneke, Outa’s portfolio manager for state capture, said now it was up to the many others, the law enforcement agencies, the professional oversight authorities, parliamentarians, business, and civil society, to ensure that this comprehensive report is read, considered, and its recommendations implemented.
The State Capture Commission’s report should be the most well-read document in the country.
Heyneke said the last volumes of the report lays bare the shame of our government, the ANC and our leaders, saying the ANC did not only allow patronage and corruption to spread but actively encouraged and enabled it.
“The Zondo report is a powerful and valuable tool for investigators and prosecutors and is a salute to the whistle-blowers and a detailed outing of the corrupt, but it is not the only work needed: there is more work ahead for both law enforcement and a range of others who must implement those recommendations.
“We all want to see the orange overalls, but we know this may take time. The Commission’s task was to hold the inquiry and collect information. To simplify, we could compare this to a robbery. Before the Commission started, we knew there was a robbery. Now, with the Commission’s report, we know where the robbery took place and how it was carried out.
“The suspects are confirmed. We also know who the witnesses are. All this intelligence and information gathered by the Commission is now handed to the police, who should compile a docket, obtain the evidence, take the witness statements and identify the suspects, then hand the docket to a prosecutor who must decide if there is enough evidence to prosecute and if all formal and prescribed procedures were used to obtain the evidence and compile the docket,” Heyneke said.
He said if there is a prima facie case and the prosecutor is satisfied, the suspects could be charged, and the case started.