State Capture Commission Recommendations Update 2025

This policy brief by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) evaluates the progress made by the South African government in implementing the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (the Zondo Commission) as of July 2025. It analyzes reforms across seven key themes: the criminal justice system, public procurement, public administration, corporate accountability, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), parliamentary oversight, and whistleblowing. While noting some legislative progress, the brief highlights significant delays, incomplete reforms, and a lack of strategic focus on the broader criminal justice system.

• As of July 2025, the Presidency reports that 48% of government commitments to the State Capture Commission (SCC) recommendations have been fully or substantially implemented, 23% are on track, and 29% are delayed or require attention.
• Reform of the criminal justice system is described as stuttering and incomplete. While the NPA Amendment Act of 2024 established the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption as a permanent entity, legislative reforms for the appointment of the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) and the SARS Commissioner have been delayed for three years. The President has suggested that NDPP appointment reform might now be handled via 'Practice and Guidelines' rather than binding legislation.
• The Public Procurement Act (PPA), signed in July 2024, introduces several integrity measures, including the creation of the Public Procurement Office (PPO) within the National Treasury, prohibitions on public office bearers doing business with the state, and requirements for proactive disclosure of beneficial ownership on a central portal. However, the brief notes that the PPA defers critical policy decisions to unpublished regulations and fails to address the need for an integrated electronic system for all organs of state.
• Efforts to depoliticize public administration are partially implemented through the 2022 National Framework for the Professionalisation of the Public Sector and the Public Service Amendment Bill. The Bill aims to transfer operational authority—including appointments and discipline—to senior administrators and prohibits heads of department from holding political office. However, the brief argues these reforms are incomplete and do not fully establish robust checks and balances for senior appointments.
• Corporate accountability has seen progress through the Companies Second Amendment Act (late 2024), which allows more time to hold delinquent directors accountable, and the Judicial Matters Amendment Bill (2024), which criminalizes the failure to prevent bribery. Additionally, a beneficial ownership register was created in 2022, though its effectiveness is limited by a lack of public access and validation capacity.
• Governance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is being addressed via the National State Enterprises Bill, which proposes a holding company to centralize governance. However, the Bill does not specify appointment processes for SOE subsidiaries or public entities not transferred to the holding company, leading to delays in addressing deep governance issues.
• Parliamentary oversight reforms have been slow; the Rules Committee rejected several SCC recommendations, claiming Parliament already has sufficient powers. A positive development occurred in 2024 when the Rules Committee voted to establish a committee to oversee the Presidency. The brief notes that the formation of the Government of National Unity has practically increased the number of committees chaired by opposition parties.
• Whistleblower protection remains a critical gap. Despite a 2023 discussion document from the Department of Justice and a 2025 State of the Nation Address commitment to introduce a Whistleblower Protections Bill, no concrete policy commitments or draft bills have been published for public comment.

APA

Pillay, D., & Meny-Gibert, S. (2025). State Capture Commission Recommendations Update 2025. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Zondo-Update-2025-zondo-state-reform-v3.pdf

Chicago

Pillay, Devi, and Sarah Meny-Gibert. State Capture Commission Recommendations Update 2025. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2025. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Zondo-Update-2025-zondo-state-reform-v3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pillay |first1=Devi |last2=Meny-Gibert |first2=Sarah |title=State Capture Commission Recommendations Update 2025 |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |date=October 2025 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Zondo-Update-2025-zondo-state-reform-v3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pillay2025state, author = {Pillay, Devi and Meny-Gibert, Sarah}, title = {{State Capture Commission Recommendations Update 2025}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Zondo-Update-2025-zondo-state-reform-v3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }