ANCWL statement on the terms of reference of Commission of Inquiry on State Capture 

17 January 2018

The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) has noted with no surprise, rejections of the broadening of terms of reference of the Commission of Inquiry on State Capture by some individuals and organisations. 

First and foremost, the ANCWL wants to state categorically that it respects the right to freedom of speech in particular the freedom to receive or impart information or ideas. However, the ANCWL vehemently rejects the narrative that seeks to reduce the State of Capture report as a property of certain individual not the State and is under the custodian of Office of the Public Protector. Those utterances seek to undermine the Office of the Public Protector and its incumbent leader. The report does not belong to any political party either but it belongs to the Republic South Africa which is led by the African National Congress. 

The ANCWL is not surprised that some of the voices that reduces the State of Capture report to a property of an individual which are amplified by various untransformed neo-liberal media houses to reject the broadening of terms of reference of Commission of Inquiry on State Capture. Their rejection on the broadening of terms of reference confirms ANCWL's long held view that the State capture narrative is used by others to fight factional political battles not to genuinely fight fraud and corruption in the country. For months they have been using State Capture narrative to prosecute certain individuals through subjective courts of public opinions and now they reject the broadening of the terms of reference of the Commission. 

South Africans must stand up and be against narrow Commission of Inquiry on State Capture that has predetermined agenda to target certain individuals/ organisations and exclude others. In dealing with fraud and corruption and fighting the State Capture monster,  the law must harshly deal with the tigers and the flies. The Commission of Inquiry on State Capture must expose without fear or favour those individuals or organisations that facilitated or benefited from State Capture activities and the law must take its course. 

The ANCWL acknowledges that the remedial action in the State of Capture report states that the Judge to be appointed must  be given  the  power  to  appoint  his/her  own  staff  and  to investigate  all  the  issues  using  the  record  of  the investigation conducted by the Public Protector and the State of Capture  report as a  starting  point. It is our understanding that the State of Capture report must be used as a starting point but also other evidence should be taken into consideration. This also justify the broadening of the terms of reference of the Commission of Inquiry. 

The ANCWL is against any individuals or organisations involved in fraud and corruption in public and private sectors. The tough hand of law must deal with all facilitators and beneficiaries of State of Capture in South Africa without fear or favour and narrow Commission of Inquiry on State Capture will not expose widely the facilitators and beneficiaries of State Capture activities. 

Issued by Meokgo Matuba, ANCWL Secretary General, 17 January 2018