[imagesource: Alaister Russell / The Sunday Times]

To be fair to Zapiro, it’s tough to talk about state capture without sounding a little despondent.

On January 4, the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture’s first report was released to the public.

The 874 pages detail exactly how and by whom our country was looted during the Jacob Zuma years, with a handy summary of the key quotes here.

But by now you know the names and the key players so let’s move along.

Here’s Zapiro’s latest cartoon published yesterday on The Daily Maverick:

Ace, JZ, our former health minister Zweli Mkhize and all the usual cronies living it up while that state capture report outlines exactly where the bodies are buried.

Parliament on fire is also a clever touch in light of what happened earlier this month.

By the way, the Digital Vibes scandal that eventually cost Mkhize his job is hardly a stumbling block, with reports suggesting he’s being “courted by ANC factions who want him to contest for one of the ruling party’s top six positions at this year’s national conference”.

At the centre of Zapiro’s frustrations is the utterly toothless National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The state capture report highlights the NPA’s total failure to prosecute state capture corruption cases.

Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo was very forthright in his criticism in that first report:

It is of course well known that for many years the NPA has failed to prosecute cases of corruption, and specifically cases of corruption in the procurement process. The extent of that failure can be measured by reference to the almost complete absence of cases brought under the legislation applicable to crimes of this sort.

Fear not, because a new “task force” has been created to focus on these cases. Here’s News24:

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the NPA and the Hawks promised that they would “systematically [be] reviewing the commission’s findings and recommendations, with a view to investigating and building cases for criminal prosecution against those who broke the law, be they from the public or private sectors”.

This, they said, “will include, where appropriate, the freezing and forfeiture of the proceeds of crimes”.

Sure thing.

I can’t wait for the commission which investigates the task force which investigated crimes laid out by the commission.

Welcome back to work, Zapiro. I foresee a busy year ahead.

[sources:dailymav&news24]