What’s in it? 18 stories about part 4 of the state capture report you need to read

The fourth instalment of the state capture report was released on Friday morning, with several high-profile politicians and businesspeople implicated.

It deals with, among other things, the capture of Eskom and the Free State’s R1bn housing project.

State capture inquiry chairperson chief justice Raymond Zondo presented the first part of the report to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings on January 4.

The inquiry was expected to release the final instalment of the report at the end of April, but Zondo said in court papers on Thursday it would not be able to deliver all the outstanding sections of the report by then.

The Pretoria high court granted a six-week extension for the delivery of the final state capture report, giving the commission until June 15.

Here are stories you need to read about the fourth part of the report:

‘ANC should be ashamed of itself’: Zondo's tongue-lashing as he brands Zuma actions ‘unlawful’

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who sat through three years of testimony on how callous politicians and their cronies captured state-owned entities, including Eskom, tore into former president Jacob Zuma and the ANC in the fourth instalment of the commission's report.

Lynne Brown — The 'Guptas' minister' who captured Eskom

Former minister of public enterprises Lynne Brown, along with Zuma, were key figures in enabling the capture of Eskom by the Gupta family, further crippling SA’s biggest and most important public enterprise.

Institute criminal charges against Tony Gupta

The report recommend that more criminal charges be instituted against members of the controversial Gupta family.

Zondo recommends removal of Zizi Kodwa from deputy state security minister portfolio

The commission also recommended Ramaphosa consider the position of Zizi Kodwa as deputy minister of state security because of his tainted relationship with controversial businessman and former EOH boss Jehan Mackay.

Zuma ‘would do anything’ to help Gupta family capture the state  

The report found Zuma played a key role in helping the Gupta family capture Eskom and was willing to “do anything” to help them.

It suggested the Guptas must have identified Zuma as someone whose “character was such that they could use him against the people of SA, his own country and his own government to advance their own business interests”. 

“The evidence proves a scheme by the Guptas to capture Eskom, install the Guptas’ selected officials in strategic positions within Eskom as members of the board, the committees of the board and the executives and then divert Eskom’s assets to the Guptas’ financial advantage,” the report stated.

Cyril Ramaphosa's election as ANC president saved SA

The report said National Treasury would have suffered irreparable damage had it not been for Cyril Ramaphosa taking over from Zuma.

“More damage could have been done to the National Treasury under Mr Gigaba than may have been done,” the report states.

Zuma helped oust competent ministers

The report claimed Zuma was prepared to cut competent ministers from cabinet at the Guptas’ request.

“[Former] President Zuma was prepared to remove people from their positions who were very good in their jobs if the Guptas wanted those people removed or if the Guptas wanted people associated with them to be put into those positions.”

‘I shudder to think what would have happened if Zuma was not forced to remove Des van Rooyen’

The report alleged the National Treasury, under the leadership of former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and later Nhlanhla Nene, resisted several attempts by Zuma and former SAA board chair Dudu Myeni to commit wrongdoing.

It said this did not endear them to the president or some in cabinet.

"It is almost a miracle the National Treasury was saved from the tentacles of the Guptas. I shudder to think what would have happened to this country if President Zuma was not forced to move Mr Des Van Rooyen and his advisers out of the National Treasury and if Mr Van Rooyen and his advisers had been allowed to continue in the National Treasury.”

Zondo dismisses Koko's complaint against Ramaphosa

The report claimed former Eskom acting CEO Matshela Koko “was working with the Guptas or their associates including Mr Salim Essa in pursuit of their agenda of state capture and in seeking to loot the coffers of Eskom”.

Zuma’s appointment of Mosebenzi Zwane as mineral resources minister was ‘likely influenced by the Guptas’

The report said Zuma’s decision to replace Ngoako Ramatlhodi with Mosebenzi Zwane as mineral resources minister was probably influenced by the Guptas

“Zwane had co-operated with the Guptas while serving as MEC in the Free State provincial government where his departments [agriculture and later human settlements] had performed very poorly and he was brought specially into the National Assembly so President Zuma could appoint him as minister of mineral resources,” the report stated.

‘Zwane played active role in pressuring banks to reopen Gupta accounts’’

The report found Zwane played an active role in trying to get banks to reopen the Gupta’s accounts.

“Mr Zwane, as chairperson of the inter-ministerial committee, played an active role in seeking to put pressure on the banks to reopen the bank accounts of the Guptas and issued a media statement in which he misrepresented what cabinet had decided,” it read.

Mosebenzi Zwane was incompetent, brazen and a bad leader: Zondo report

The report recommended the National Prosecuting Authority consider charging Zwane with fraud over the R1-bn Free State housing debacle.

Free State’s R1bn housing project was a ‘dismal failure’

The report called the Free State provincial government’s handling of the controversial R1bn housing project a “dismal failure. and said the project was a debacle.

The money was meant to build thousands of low cost houses, which were never built.

Find a way to get corruption-accused Free State officials to pay back money

The report recommended the government seek legal advice on how to recover the R255m wasted on the failed Free State asbestos roof eradication project.

While Blackhead boss Edwin Sodi is facing charges over the matter, Zondo believes those who benefited criminally should also face the music and pay back the money.

Expose or factionalism at play? SA reacts to fourth part of report

South Africans have taken to social media to share their thoughts about the latest volume of the state capture inquiry report.

Eskom wants ‘miscreants’ brought to book

Eskom responded to the report, saying it had set up a team to review it. It claimed state capture and its agents had caused immense harm to the power utility.

“We view the release of the commission’s report as an important step to ensure more of those who undermined Eskom are brought to book, and we look forward to working with the National Prosecuting Authority to ensure the miscreants speedily face criminal charges,” said Eskom board chair Prof Malegapuru Makgoba .

A recap of the entire state capture report

The first three volumes of the report were explosive and dealt with several state-owned enterprises and companies that did business with government.

Those implicated include former president Jacob Zuma, former Government Communication Information System CEO Mzwanele Manyi, ex SAA board chairperson Dudu Myeni, former SA Revenue Service boss Tom Moyane, former public enterprise ministers Malusi Gigaba and Lynne Brown, former Transnet group CEO Brian Molefe, mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe, former minister Nomvula Mokonyane and late Bosasa CEO Gavin Watson, among others.

The fourth volume of the report in full

Fancy reading the entire fourth volume? Here it is.

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