Independent Assessment for the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council of the 60 Presidential Commitments to implement the State Capture Commission Recommendations

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) assessed the implementation of the State Capture Commission (SCC) recommendations in South Africa. While progress was noted in asset recovery (R10.9 billion recovered by March 2025) and the establishment of the permanent Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC), the report highlights significant systemic failures. Key concerns include the delayed appointment process for the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), the lack of a finalized whistleblower protection framework, and the continued politicization of the public administration. The report argues that the government has relied too heavily on legislative bills that are either not yet in effect or incomplete, and that accountability for members of the Executive remains insufficient.

• As of March 2025, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) recovered a total of R10.9 billion, with an additional R10.6 billion in assets under restraint or preservation orders.
• The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has faced significant capacity issues; in May 2025, the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) had only about 20 of its own investigators and had to borrow others.
• The government has failed to meet its June 2023 deadline to introduce legislation for a transparent and competitive process for appointing the SARS Commissioner, a delay of over two years.
• The Public Procurement Act (PPA) was enacted in 2024 to consolidate the procurement system, but it is not yet in effect as regulations are still being developed.
• The General Intelligence Laws Amendment Act (GILAA) was enacted in March 2025 to disestablish the State Security Agency (SSA) and create separate foreign and domestic intelligence entities, but the Act has not yet commenced.
• The Public Service Amendment Bill and the PSC Bill are viewed as only partial implementations of reforms to depoliticise the public administration, as they do not fully address the role of the Public Service Commission (PSC) in senior selection processes.
• The National State Enterprises Bill proposes a holding company model for large SOEs, but it does not specify appointment processes for subsidiary boards or address governance for thousands of smaller public entities.
• The Political Funding Act was amended to criminalise donations made with the expectation of influencing government decisions, but recent National Assembly votes to double disclosure thresholds may weaken its effectiveness.
• Parliament's Rules Committee rejected several SCC recommendations, including the creation of legislation to protect MPs from losing party membership for exercising oversight duties.
• The Electoral Amendment Act of 2023 allows independent candidates to contest elections, but they do not compete on an equal footing with political parties.
• The government has not yet publicly released the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council's (NACAC) report on the anti-corruption architecture, despite the council's wish for its release.

APA

Meny-Gibert, S., Pillay, D., & Pienaar, G. (2025). Independent Assessment for the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council of the 60 Presidential Commitments to implement the State Capture Commission Recommendations. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ncac-5.pdf

Chicago

Meny-Gibert, Sarah, Devi Pillay, and Gary Pienaar. Independent Assessment for the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council of the 60 Presidential Commitments to implement the State Capture Commission Recommendations. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2025. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ncac-5.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Meny-Gibert |first1=Sarah |last2=Pillay |first2=Devi |last3=Pienaar |first3=Gary |title=Independent Assessment for the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council of the 60 Presidential Commitments to implement the State Capture Commission Recommendations |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |date=August 2025 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ncac-5.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{menygibert2025independent, author = {Meny-Gibert, Sarah and Pillay, Devi and Pienaar, Gary}, title = {{Independent Assessment for the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council of the 60 Presidential Commitments to implement the State Capture Commission Recommendations}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ncac-5.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }