Corruption and state capture : an interpretive reading of the reports of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture.

Abstract

State capture and corruption gained ground and became topical during the tenure of Jacob Zuma as the president of the Republic of South Africa. As rumours made their way to the media, the then-Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, was tasked with investigating corruption and state capture. The Public Protector recommended the creation of a body to further investigate these allegations. As a result, the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture was established. This study analyzed and interpreted the reports produced by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture. The study answered the following research questions: What is a state according to the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture reports? What are the concepts and theories of state capture that guided the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture? How does state capture manifest itself in the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture? What are the consequences of state capture? As its primary data sources, this study used the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture Report: Part VI Vol I - Estina, Vrede and the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture Report: Part VI Vol 2. Books and academic journals were used as secondary sources. This research utilized liberal, neoliberal and new institutional economic perspectives as its theoretical lenses. This qualitative study utilized the case study method to collect data, which was also used to analyze the data.