An Analysis of the Development of State Capture and Its Indicator in South Africa, 2016–2018
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/11105Keywords:
corruption, development, state capture, socio-economic problems, South AfricaAbstract
As an international and domestic threat to countries, the phenomenon of “state capture” has suddenly gained the attention of scholars and South Africans who have an interest in political issues. Given the fundamentality of its continuity in the context of South Africa, this article solely analyses this phenomenon within the period of 2016–2018. The central aim is to understand the development of this phenomenon and its indicator in the stated period. The adoption of the periodisation approach in this article does not necessarily sideline the fact that the phenomenon of state capture is characterised by the presidency of Jacob Zuma but only gained momentum during the period post-2016. Methodologically, this article relied on a desktop research approach in the form of document review and made use of thematic content analysis to attend to the central objective of the article. Equally important was the adoption of Afrocentricity as the alternative theoretical lens to interpret the nature of this subject. The preliminary findings of this article illustrate that state capture manifests in a form of lobby and influence in government policies and operation, thus leading to poor governance policies and aggravated socio-economic developmental problems. The article recommends a strong call for transparency and effective corruption and state capture watch mechanisms.
References
AFP. 2017. “State Capture Named SA Word of the Year.” Daily Maverick, October 16, 2017. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-10-16-state-capture-named-sa-word-of-the-year/.
Anderson, R. 2007. “Thematic Content Analysis (TCA): Descriptive Presentation of Qualitative Data.” Accessed July 25, 2019. https://rosemarieanderson.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ThematicContentAnalysis.pdf.
Asante, M. K. 1990. Kemet, Afrocentricity and Knowledge. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
Asante, M. K. 2003. Afrocentricity: The Theory of Social Change. Chicago, IL: African American Images.
Bisseker, C. 2018. “R1-trillion: The Cost of the Zuma Years.” TimesLIVE, December 12, 2018. Accessed July 21, 2019. https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2018-10-12-r1-trillion-the-cost-of-thezuma-years.
Bruce, P. 2016. “The Guptas, Zuma, and a Sinking Ship.” Sunday Times, March 20, 2016. Accessed May 18, 2022. https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/opinion-and-analysis/2016-03-20-the-guptas-zuma-and-a-sinking-ship/.
Chilisa, B. 2012. Indigenous Research Methodologies. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
Czada, R. 2011. “Corporativism.” In International Encyclopedia of Political Science, edited by B. Bertrand, B. S. Dirk and M. Leonardo, 458–63. London: SAGE Publications.
Dassah, M. O. 2018. “Theoretical Analysis of State Capture and Its Manifestation as a Governance Problem in South Africa.” The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa 14 (1): 1–8. https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v14i1.473. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v14i1.473
Dludla, S. 2017. “State Security Agency Wants Zuma Tax Evasion Book Recalled.” Independent Online, November 3, 2017. Accessed July 21, 2019. https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/state-security-agency-wants-zumatax-evasion-book-recalled-11848082.
Eyewitness News. 2017. “Zuma Fires Gordhan, Jonas, Hanekom, Peters and Ramatlhodi.” Eyewitness News, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2019. https://ewn.co.za/2017/03/30/president-jacob-zuma-cabinet-reshuffle-pravin-gordhan-fired.
Fakude, T. 2016. “State Capture Is Not Something New in South African Political Economy.” The Citizen, April 21, 2016. Accessed February 16, 2019. https://www.thecitizen.in/index.php/en/NewsDetail/index/6/7487/State-Capture-Is-Not%20Something.
Fazekas, M., and I. J. Tóth. 2014. “From Corruption to State Capture: A New Analytical Framework with Empirical Applications from Hungary.” Corruption Research Centre Budapest Working Paper Series, No. CRCB-WP2014:01. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2531701. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2531701
Godinho, C., and L. Hermanus. 2018. “(Re)Conceptualising State Capture: With a Case Study of South African Power Company Eskom.” Conference Paper prepared for the Public Affairs Research Institute’s State Capture and Its Aftermath: Building Responsiveness through State Reform, October 22–24, 2018, Johannesburg. Accessed May 18, 2022. https://www.gsb.uct.ac.za/files/Godinho_Hermanus_2018_ReconceptualisingStateCapture_Eskom.pdf.
Ngcobo, K. 2017. “UJ Lecture: ‘The Best Way to Fight State Capture Is to Expose It.’” Independent Online, July 27, 2017. Accessed February 20, 2019. http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/ujlecture-the-best-way-to-fight-state-capture-is-toexpose-.
Grootes, S., and G. Davis. 2016. “Mcebisi Jonas Confirms the Guptas Offered Him a Job.” Eyewitness News, 2016. Accessed July 26, 2019. https://ewn.co.za/2016/03/16/Mcebisi-Jonas-confirms-job-offer-by-Guptas.
Hoffman, P. 2018. “State Capture Inquiry: Here Is Why the ANC Is Actually on Trial.” Daily Maverick, September 4, 2018. Accessed February 24, 2019. https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2018-09-04-state-capture-inquiry-here-is-why-the-anc-is-actually-on-trial/.
Hogg, A. 2015. “Pravin Reappointed Finance Minister; Will SA Force Zuma to Fall on Sword?” BizNews, December 13, 2015. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://www.biznews.com/leadership/2015/12/13/pravin-gordhan-new-finance-minister-van-rooyen-shifted-to-cogta.
Hosken, G. 2017. “The Effect of State Capture on the Man in the Street.” TimesLIVE, June 7, 2017. Accessed 02 24, 2019. https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2017-06-07-the-effect-of-state-capture-on-the-man-in-the-street/.
Jackson, R., and G. Sørensen. 2013. Introduction to International Relations: Theories and Approaches. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Kempen, A. 2016. “#CorruptionMustFall—Fighting the ‘Brown Envelope’, ‘Cold Drink Money’ and the State Capture Syndrome.” Servamus Community-Based Safety and Security Magazine 109 (12): 9–13.
Letsoalo, M. 2018. “#ANC106: Prosecute Those Implicated in State Capture—Ramaphosa.” Mail & Guardian, January 13, 2018. Accessed July 19, 2019. https://mg.co.za/article/2018-01-13-anc106-prosecute-those-implicated-in-state-capture-ramaphosa.
Madonsela, T. 2016. “State of Capture—A Report of the Public Protector.” South African History Online, October 14, 2016. Accessed 02 17, 2019. https://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/state-capture-report-public-protector-14-october-2016.
Malefane, M. 2016. “ANC Uses Apartheid Tactics.” Sowetan March 23, 2016.
Mamokhere, J. 2018. “Understanding the Phenomenon of State Capture and Its Manifestation in South Africa.” Commonwealth Youth and Development 16 (2): 1–7. https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/6314. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/6314
Maserumule, M. H. 2011. “Good Governance in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD): A Public Administration Perspective.” PhD diss., University of South Africa. https://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/4854.
Maserumule, M. H. 2015. “Engaged Scholarship and Liberatory Science: A Professoriate, Mount Grace, and SAAPAM in the Decoloniality Mix.” Journal of Public Administration 50 (2): 200–22.
Mbatha, A., and F. Wild. 2016. “Madonsela to Probe Gupta, Zuma Ties.” Online Independent, March 22, 2016. Accessed July 16, 2019. https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/economy/madonsela-to-probe-gupta-zuma-ties-2000368.
Modupe, D. S. 2003. “The Afrocentric Philosophical Perspective: Narrative Outline.” In The Afrocentric Paradigm, edited by A. Mazama, 55–72. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
Munusamy, R. 2018. “Nene: Zuma Fired Me Because I Refused to Toe the ‘Gupta Line.’” TimesLIVE, October 3, 2018. Accessed July 19, 2019. https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2018-10-03-nene-zuma-fired-me-because-i-refused-to-toe-the-gupta-line/.
Myburgh, P. L. 2017. The Republic of Gupta: A Story of State Capture. Cape Town: Penguin.
Ndletyana, M. 2013. “Our Sovereignty Is Slowly Slipping Away.” The Sunday Independent, May 19, 2013.
Netshitendzhe, J. 2016. “State Formation and State Capture.” Lecture presented at the Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education, August 25, 2016.
Pesic, V. 2007. “State Capture and Widespread Corruption in Serbia.” Centre for European Policy Studies. CEPS Working Document No. 262. Accessed February 17, 2019. https://www.ceps.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/1478.pdf.
Richter, S. 2017. “The Peace Buys: What Order Creates ‘State Capture’ in Post-War Societies.” Accessed February 17, 2019. http://www.afkweb.de/fileadmin/afkweb.de/data/ze.
Sebake, B. K. 2017.” State Capture as a Manifestation of the Historic Narrative of Oligarchy in Selected African Countries.” Paper presented the 2nd Annual International Conference on Public Administration and Development Alternatives 26–28 July 2017, Tlotlo Hotel, Gaborone, Botswana. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/1859.
Shai, K. B. 2017. “South African State Capture: A Symbiotic Affair between Business and State Going Bad (?)” Insight on Africa 9 (1): 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/0975087816674584. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0975087816674584
Shivambu, F. 2016. “On State Capture: Ideological Reflections.” A position paper prepared for the Nelson Mandela Region of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
Sitorus, L. E. 2011. “State Capture: Is It a Crime? How the World Perceived It.” Indonesia Law Review 1 (2): 45–68. https://doi.org/10.15742/ilrev.v1n2.82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15742/ilrev.v1n2.82
Staff Writer. 2016. “Public Protector’s Report on State Capture Released—Download It Here.” Business Tech, November 2, 2016. Accessed July 16, 2019. https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/142113/public-protectors-report-on-state-capture-released-download-it-here/.
TimesLIVE. 2016. “Crunch Time as Zuma Faces Joblessness Anger.” TimesLIVE, June 20, 2016. Accessed July 13, 2019. https://www.vocfm.co.za/crunch-time-as-zuma-faces-joblessness-anger/.
TimesLIVE. 2018. “Prosecution of Those Implicated in State Capture Will Be Given ‘Top Priority’: Ramaphosa.” TimesLIVE, January 13, 2018. Accessed July 16, 2019. https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2018-01-13-prosecution-of-those-implicated-in-state-capture-will-be-given-top-priority-ramaphosa/.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright will be vested in Unisa Press. However, as long as you do not use the article in ways which would directly conflict with the publisher’s business interests, you retain the right to use your own article (provided you acknowledge the published version of the article) as follows:
- to make further copies of all or part of the published article for your use in classroom teaching;
- to make copies of the final accepted version of the article for internal distribution within your institution, or to place it on your own or your institution’s website or repository, or on a site that does not charge for access to the article, but you must arrange not to make the final accepted version of the article available to the public until 18 months after the date of acceptance;
- to re-use all or part of this material in a compilation of your own works or in a textbook of which you are the author, or as the basis for a conference presentation.
Accepted 2022-04-29
Published 2022-05-24
