The Institutionalisation of endemic corruption: State capture in South Africa

Abstract

Systemic corruption has become the norm in South Africa. This is evident in the recent Transparency International’s Corruption Index. During the Zuma Administration, the scale and magnitude of corruption intensified and the term “state capture” was used to describe this phenomenon. Given the dramatic developments of February 2018 which witnessed the stepping down of President Jacob Zuma and his replacement by President Cyril Ramaphosa, there was hope that the new president’s promised “New Dawn” would result in reversing state capture, and more broadly, the politics of patronage. Whilst the Ramaphosa Administration has undertaken several measures to undo state capture including a cabinet reshuffle and the appointment of new boards at South Africa’s trouble State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), much more needs to be done. Drawing on international best practice from Bulgaria to Tunisia and Hong Kong, this article proposes concrete recommendations to undo state capture.