/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The SACP welcomes President Zuma’s decision to no longer oppose the publication of the Public Protector’s report into so-called “state capture”, and the consequent Pretoria High Court order that the report should be published by the end of business today.

The SACP has been in the fore-front of publicly raising concern and exposing blatant attempts at narrow corporate capture of key state institutions. We have specifically singled out the Gupta family and their associates in this regard. The SACP also expressed its dissatisfaction at the time with the manner in which the ANC’s earlier investigation into the same matter was handled and abandoned.

The Public Protector’s report should hopefully now shed light on many burning issues, including the reasons why South Africa’s major banks stopped doing business with Gupta-related companies. This action by South Africa’s banks was, it should be noted, belated and, no doubt, undertaken less for moral reasons and more for fear of themselves facing international sanctions for complicity in money laundering.

In this regard it is important to underline that the Public Protector’s report into “state capture” was focused on the Gupta family and senior politicians. This targeted focus was appropriate, since we are dealing here with the most brazen forms of narrow corporate manipulation of key parts of the state.

However, it's important to appreciate that the dangers of corporate capture of a democratically elected government and the undermining of its popular mandate by monopoly capital (white and black) go much wider than the Gupta family.

In the coming days important decisions will need to be made by the leader of our Alliance, the ANC. The SACP pledges to be a constructive and principled alliance partner in dealing with the deepening leadership challenges facing the ANC.

Issued by SACP