Johannesburg - The alleged state capture by the Gupta family was just a small part of serious state capture, Right2Know founder Dale McKinley said on Tuesday.
The issue has been prevalent from as far back as the early 1990s, he said.
He was among the panellists at the discussion on the impact of the State of Capture report at the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism in Joburg.
McKinley said former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s report raised questions about the ethical conduct of President Jacob Zuma and other state functionaries regarding their relationship with the controversial Gupta family.
“From as far as 1990, corporate capital had already captured the scene. The Gupta family is a smallest fraction of serious state capture.
“The arms deal for instance makes the Gupta family pale in comparison.”
He said people were angry and frustrated with the ANC because they expected more from the movement.
“White collar crimes committed in South Africa are higher than any other state in the world,” he said.
Ranjeni Munusamy, the associate editor of online news site Daily Maverick, said Madonsela’s report was downplaying the severity of its content.
“The term state capture makes it sound like some movie Will Smith will feature in. This is political corruption; the Gupta family is endan-gering national interests,” she said.
Political analyst Dr Mcebisi Ndletyana, from the University of Johannesburg’s Politics Faculty, said government officials had business interests too, which made them prone to corruption.
“The problem starts when government officials aspire to be in business, nepotism then affirms over everything. This has always been rand-sinking and it causes the state to suffer,” he said.
@June_Hlongwane1
The Star