Incidents of corruption in South Africa, which include economic crimes such as fraud and money laundering, are well-documented, both in the media and in other publications. Corruption as an economic crime has a wide impact across societies.
The effect of corruption across societies globally, including South Africa, includes:
- Weakening in social morality and values: Corruption normalises unethical behaviour, and cultural acceptance of corruption becomes the norm.
- Worsening inequality: Corruption benefits affluent and connected individuals and groups, leading to poorer communities becoming even more marginalised.
- Declining quality and accessibility of public services: In South Africa, major corruption scandals have been uncovered in, among others, the healthcare sector; trends in lack of electricity and water supply are ever-growing; and our roads are deteriorating at a rapid rate.
- Increasing criminal activity: Criminal networks are thriving by bribing officials. The Madlanga commission is a case in point: a public commission aimed at investigating allegations of corruption, political interference and collusion within the criminal justice system, particularly involving the police and the judiciary.
- Erosion of trust in public institutions: Corruption undermines citizens’ confidence in the state, the justice system, law enforcement and public services.
The Zondo commission
The Zondo commission of inquiry, established in 2018, provided an account of corruption in South Africa, especially state capture.
The commission found that: “state capture in the South African context evolved as a project by which a relatively small group of actors, together with their network of collaborators inside and outside of the state, conspired systematically [criminally and in defiance of the constitution] to redirect resources from the state for their gain.”
Interestingly, one of the key findings in the commission’s report referred to the socio-economic impact of corruption, with detrimental impact on public service delivery, job creation, investment and social cohesion. It further found that the misallocation of resources (that is, the looting of state funds) increases the socio-economic divide.
Commission recommendations
The commission made various recommendations, including investigating and prosecuting (where evidence was found) individuals for their involvement in state capture, mostly concerning charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering, racketeering, etc.
There is a strong public sentiment, which we agree with, that to reduce corruption in South Africa, effective investigation needs to be conducted to lead to successful prosecution.
Post the publication of the commission’s report, criminal investigations and prosecution of corruption-related matters have moved slowly, and some cases have encountered legal hurdles, such as the Nulane matter in Free State. The Nulane matter, which paved the way for the failed Gupta-linked Vrede Diary project, was the first case where state capture accused were put on trial. They were all acquitted.
The Supreme Court of Appeal – The State v Thabethe and Others [2025] Zasca 88 (12 June 2025) – overturned the accused’s acquittal and ordered a retrial.
Other signs of corruption being addressed in South Africa include the current criminal legal prosecutions relating to alleged fraud and corruption at Transnet and Denel.
In July 2025, the president reported that R11-billion in stolen assets had been recovered, with 218 active investigations and high-profile trials scheduled for 2025–2026. However, convictions remain limited.
The recent appointment of the national director of public prosecutions will make inroads into the prosecution of corruption cases, and in time, remove the elephant of corruption, with the ultimate goal of economic growth and prosperity for all.
