FOR her swan-song as South Africa’s anti-corruption authority, Thuli Madonsela took on the president’s friends. The soft-spoken Ms Madonsela (pictured above) earned a reputation for being fearless and fair during her seven-year term as the public protector—an ombudsman whose powers are guaranteed by the constitution.
President Jacob Zuma has been in her crosshairs before. Her report on improper state spending on his private rural homestead, Nkandla, called for Mr Zuma to pay back some of the money. He refused—until compelled by the country’s top court in a significant reaffirmation of her powers. This time Ms Madonsela’s targets were the government leaders who allegedly did the bidding of the Gupta brothers, wealthy benefactors of Mr Zuma. They are accused by the opposition and South Africa’s deputy finance minister, among others, of meddling in cabinet appointments and government contracts. Such accusations are so bleakly common they have earned shorthand among South Africans: “state capture”. The Guptas deny all the allegations.
Ms Madonsela began her “state capture” investigation in March, and had intended to...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/2efDwZ6
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