State Capture: Lack of accountability undermines rule of law - NPA

Speaking at a dialogue hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation on the rule of law and constitutionalism in Johannesburg on Wednesday, the NPA's deputy head Advocate Anton du Plessis said the Zondo commission report will require a strategic approach.

The final report of the Zondo commission fingers several senior ANC members, including current and former cabinet ministers, for their involvement in large-scale corruption during the presidency of Jacob Zuma.

Du Plessis said the response to the state capture report will have to include the country's Chapter 9 institutions.

"State capture has ripped the heart out of the rule of law in South Africa, which is a central ingredient to the social contract holding us together and the lack of accountability is undermining the legitimacy of the rule of law. We can't be a country built on persuasion if people do not have faith in the rule of law system and do not see accountability for those who have actively tried to destroy it."

READ: Zuma slams Zondo commission report as gossip, irrational

Du Plessis also said more people implicated in state capture will be arrested in July.

"We have also arrested a number of alleged senior policemen for PPE corruption because this demonstrates that you can arrest your counterpart in the system it demonstrates a level of confidence in the progress we are making."

He also reiterated that the NPA is making progress on the extradition of the Gupta brothers from Dubai.

"We working with a leading team in the country to make sure that they are brought back professionally and appropriately and that their due process is respected in the UAE because we don't want that to be an issue when they come to South Africa. 

"We need to do this carefully as much as people would like us to be trumpeting our success from rooftops, that would be a bad legal strategy."