Zondo Commission recommendations update: Where do we stand in 2024?

The document evaluates the implementation of the Zondo Commission's recommendations in South Africa, focusing on systemic reforms rather than individual prosecutions. It finds that while some legislative progress has been made—such as the NPA Amendment Act and the Public Procurement Act—many critical recommendations regarding parliamentary oversight, the independence of law enforcement, and the protection of whistleblowers have been ignored or insufficiently addressed. The report highlights a persistent gap between procedural compliance and the deep structural changes needed to prevent future state capture.

• Parliament has largely rejected the Zondo Commission's recommendations for improving its own oversight functions, deciding against almost all of them because they were "deemed to be unnecessary."
• The 2024 NPA Amendment Act established the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) as a permanent entity, but it failed to address the independence of the National Prosecuting Authority or reform the appointment process for the National Director of Public Prosecutions.
• The General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill, passed by Parliament in May 2024, aims to split the State Security Agency into domestic and foreign agencies, but civil society warns it expands surveillance while weakening oversight.
• The Public Procurement Act, signed in July 2024, creates a Public Procurement Office (PPO) to promote transparency and prohibit interference, though critics argue it relies too heavily on unpublished regulations and lacks strong anti-corruption enforcement.
• Efforts to professionalise the public service include a centralised register of over 12,000 records of dismissed or resigned officials, and the reintroduction of bills to delineate the roles of political leaders and senior administrators.
• The National State Enterprises Bill introduces a single shareholder holding company model for some state-owned enterprises, but it fails to provide safeguards for the appointment and removal of boards and executives.
• There has been no concrete progress on protecting or incentivising whistleblowers since a July 2023 discussion document, with the Department of Justice explicitly rejecting the proposal to provide financial incentives.
• Accountability for private sector actors remains limited, although some progress includes a R2.2 billion restitution payment from SAP and the blacklisting of Bain & Co.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2024). Zondo Commission recommendations update: Where do we stand in 2024? https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Zondo-SUmmary-Nov-2024.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Zondo Commission recommendations update: Where do we stand in 2024? 2024. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Zondo-SUmmary-Nov-2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Zondo Commission recommendations update: Where do we stand in 2024? |date=2024 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Zondo-SUmmary-Nov-2024.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2024zondo, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Zondo Commission recommendations update: Where do we stand in 2024?}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2024}, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Zondo-SUmmary-Nov-2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }