Background

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture

Overview

• Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State⁵
• The Commission was set up as remedial action recommended in the Public Protector's State of Capture report released on 2 November 2016.⁵
• Set up in 2018 to examine high-level corruption during Jacob Zuma's presidency.⁴
• Raymond Zondo, later Chief Justice.^1,4
• More than 300 witnesses over three years, including Cyril Ramaphosa, according to Al Jazeera.⁴
• Six parts. Part I (SAA, The New Age, SARS and related matters), Part II (Transnet, Denel), Part III (Bosasa, four volumes), Part IV (National Treasury and other matters, Free State, Eskom), Part V (SSA and Crime Intelligence, SABC, Waterkloof, PRASA), Part VI (Estina and closure of Gupta bank accounts, Parliament, the ANC and the President's evidence, flow of funds and Optimum, all other recommendations).^2,3,13

Government response

• A Gauteng High Court ruling on 23 February 2022 required the President to set out how he would implement the recommendations.⁵
• The President submitted his response to Parliament on 22 October 2022 and addressed the nation on 23 October 2022. The Presidency described a 76 page document.^5,6
• The response commits to action against perpetrators, reforms to prevent state capture recurring and broader systemic reforms.⁵
• Parliament said it would scrutinise the plan and oversee implementation. Recommendations for Parliament included funding for portfolio committees and a mechanism to track executive action.⁶
• SAnews reported on 26 June 2025 that assets recovered in connection with state capture rose from R2.9 billion in October 2022 to R11 billion by March 2025, that eight new laws had been enacted, that four cases had been concluded with guilty verdicts and that 11 further cases involving 51 individuals and 27 companies were enrolled.¹¹
• The same report said 71 former SOE directors were referred for delinquency proceedings, leading to nine active court cases, and that National Treasury imposed a 10 year ban (2022 to 2032) on Bain and Co, which Bain is challenging in court.¹¹
• The Presidency said on 28 July 2025 that recoveries totalled nearly R11 billion, including R2.9 billion by the Special Investigating Unit and R8 billion by the Asset Forfeiture Unit.¹²

Prosecutions

• The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) began operations on 19 August 2024, according to SAnews. The Presidency said it was established as a permanent entity under the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Act of 2024.^11,12
• In a reply to a parliamentary question asked on 30 September 2025, the Minister of Justice reported 11 IDAC state capture cases in court involving 23 government officials and one politician, and nine matters under investigation involving 20 officials and four politicians.⁷
• Finalised matters included a plea conviction of former SSA official Marti Wallace and the closure of the SAA Airbus investigation after Dudu Myeni's death on 14 June 2024.⁷
• Angelo Agrizzi was convicted on 6 November 2025 and Vincent Smith was sentenced in March 2026, both under plea agreements.^9,10
• On 18 August 2026 National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi told Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts that 99 people were facing prosecution and 56 state capture cases were under investigation.⁸

Sources

1. The Presidency, President Ramaphosa to receive final State Capture Commission report (22 June 2022)
2. Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, Commission reports (list of report parts and volumes) (24 June 2022)
3. Parliamentary Monitoring Group, State Capture (Zondo Commission) Reports (5 June 2022)
4. Al Jazeera, South Africa's Ramaphosa should have dug into Zuma graft: Inquiry (23 June 2022)
5. The Presidency, President submits response to State Capture Commission recommendations to Parliament (23 October 2022)
6. Parliament of South Africa, Parliament receives President's implementation plan on Zondo Commission report (23 October 2022)
7. Parliamentary Monitoring Group (ministerial reply), Question NW4912 to the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, asked 30 September 2025 (reply on IDAC state capture cases) (30 September 2025)
8. EWN, State capture cases progressing but NPA must accelerate momentum, says Mothibi (18 August 2026)
9. National Prosecuting Authority, Agrizzi enters into a plea and sentence agreement with the IDAC in the BOSASA corruption case (6 November 2025)
10. SAnews (South African Government News Agency), NPA scores victory in Vincent Smith State Capture case (5 March 2026)
11. SAnews (South African Government News Agency), R11 billion assets linked to State Capture Commission recovered (26 June 2025)
12. The Presidency, Significant progress made in implementing State Capture Commission recommendations (28 July 2025)
13. Daily Maverick, The list: the people and businesses the State Capture Commission recommends for prosecution by the NPA (Part 1) (5 January 2022)