Anatomy of State Capture: Introduction (original) (raw)

State capture: Case of South Africa

2021

ISSN 2620-0406 Citation: Bester, D., & Dobovsek, B. (2021). State capture: Case of South Africa. NBP. Nauka, bezbednost, policija, 26(1), 73–87. doi:10.5937/nabepo 26-32346 Abstract: “Grand corruption” and “state capture” are two intertwined concepts of corruption that have become systemic and institutionalized in many transitional countries around the world. “State capture” can simply be defined as “the payment of bribes at high levels of government in order to extract or plunder significant amounts of money from the state”. The following paper will argue that when state capture occurs in transitional countries, it runs the risk of becoming socially embedded and institutionalized, which in turn makes it difficult to maintain the principles of democracy and threatens the overall stability of a country in transition. South Africa makes for a useful case study because it clearly represents how corruption in the form of state capture has infiltrated the political landscape of a country...

South African State Capture: A Symbiotic Affair between Business and State Going Bad(?)

Insight on Africa, 2017

Since March 2016, the subject of South African state capture has received much attention from the political, business and scholarly community in the country and beyond. The vibrancy of this public and scholarly discourse was reignited by the claims by some politicians from the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), that in the recent past, they were approached by the Gupta family (business moguls) for consideration in ministerial appointments. These revelations have since produced a dominant perception that the Gupta family wields an undue influence over the President of the Republic and by extension, the entire state machinery. This extends to the family and friends as well. While the Guptas 'capture' the state, ministers and premiers are not directly accountable to them by protocol, but only to the President as a constitutional prerogative to do so. The view on state capture is not uniformly accepted. One notes the discourse is dominated by Euro-American perspectives, purporting to create a misunderstanding of the current trajectory of business-state relations in South Africa. As a theoretical framework, Afrocentricity is adopted and used in this article to answer the following two central questions: (i) Is it a myth or reality that the Gupta family has captured the South African state? (ii) At which point should corporate influence in state affairs be considered as illegal? Methodologically, this is achieved through thematic content analysis on conversations and the prevailing discourses circulating within South Africa.

The Institutionalisation of endemic corruption: State capture in South Africa

2019

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.

Review of “How to Steal a Country: State Capture and Hopes for the Future in South Africa”

2021

96 A Review of “How to Steal a Country: State Capture and Hopes for the Future in South Africa” Nkosingiphile Mkhize DOI: https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.48.5 Nkosingiphile Mkhize, from Johannesburg (South Africa), holds two master’s degrees; one in Political Science (research component and defence awarded a distinction) from the Masarykova Univerzita, Czech Republic. The second MA degree in Public Governance (cum laude) from the University of Johannesburg School of Public Management, Governance and Public Policy. He is currently a Ph.D. Candidate with the University of Johannesburg School of Public Management, Governance and Public Policy. His theses focus on integrity, ethics, corruption and anticorruption, and risk management in the South Africa public sector. The broad areas of his Ph.D. thesis focus form part of his key research interests. E-mail: nkosingiphile.e.m18@gmail.com.

Theoretical analysis of state capture and its manifestation as a governance problem in South Africa

The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa

State capture became topical in South Africa in March 2016 following the dismissal of the then Minister of Finance, Nhlanhla Nene, on 09 December 2015. ‘Nenegate’ revealed poor understanding of state capture among politicians and the general public. The literature indicates that state capture lacks analytical clarity as there is no clear demarcation between legitimate political lobbying and state capture created by corruption. The research question addressed in this article is: What is state capture and how is it manifested in South Africa? Firstly, it systematically unpacks the phenomenon as a type of business–state relationship distinct from influence, corruption and lobbying and outlines its types, features and essence. Secondly, the article explores state capture in contemporary South Africa. Methodology-wise, a combination of literature study and current research reports is used to illuminate the phenomenon and its manifestation. The article contributes to existing knowledge by...

State Capture in South Africa and Canada: A Comparative Analysis

Public Integrity, 2022

ABSTRACT Corruption in all its forms, from bribery to influence and distortion of oversight, accountability and justice systems, in order to protect the criminal behavior of functionaries (public officials and political officials) is a global phenomenon. Corruption as a phenomenon is found in well-established democracies such as Canada, and is often endemic in young democracies such as South Africa, who fall into a cycle of political corruption and administrative accountability avoidance. What are the cross-cutting risk factors and mitigation factors that shape the functionality of anti-corruption mechanisms? This comparative analysis of corruption and state capture provides insight into the functionality of oversight, anti-corruption and accountability mechanisms in both countries. Findings indicate that both Canada and South Africa are at risk of the erosion of safeguards and at risk of the deterioration of levels of vigilance required to prevent state capture

The Guptas, the Public Protector’s Report and Capital Accumulation in South Africa

Alternation Interdisciplinary Journal for the Study of the Arts and Humanities in Southern Africa

The relationship between South African President Jacob Zuma and his family, and the Guptas, possibly the richest family of Indian origin at present in South Africa, has made persistent national and increasingly international headlines in the media over the past few years. The Gupta family, who arrived in South Africa from India just prior to the country's first non-racial democratic elections in 1994, are accused of colluding with Zuma in the removal and appointment of government ministers, as well as the directors of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in order to secure lucrative state contracts. This article examines the allegedly corrupt relationship between the Zumas and the Guptas to probe key issues in post-apartheid South African society: corruption, state capture, inequality, class formation, Black Economic Empowerment, and White Monopoly Capital. It argues that corruption has negative consequences such as creating despondency amongst the populace leading to capital flight and creating the possibilities for state capture as well as further deepening inequality.