OUTA welcomes prosecutorial activity on state capture cases

“There is no doubt that where there is smoke, there is fire. The current media activity appears to indicate that positive action is happening within certain elements of the prosecuting mechanisms within the state,” says Ben Theron, OUTA's COO.

This is undoubtedly good news and signals that the consistent approach by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) and other organisations which have stayed true to their mandate of tackling corruption – by laying charges against those who abuse their authority – is now beginning to pay off.

“It certainly sends a strong signal of a new guard and a change of attitude when it comes to tackling corruption, now that Jacob Zuma is no longer at the helm of the ruling party,” adds Theron.

OUTA, SAFTU, HSF and others have been very busy over the past year, gathering evidence and painstakingly building solid cases that will assist the authorities to advance a number of cases related to state capture. For now, the initial activity by the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) appears to target a few corporate entities linked to Eskom's McKinsey/Trillian contract; however, in the near future, we sincerely believe that other cases and charges against others including the Gupta brothers and a host of senior government officials and other companies will begin to unfold.

OUTA applauds this recent development and looks forward to the imminent introduction of new leadership within the NDPP – one that will hopefully inject a new level of civil courage into the NPA. It is high time that this critical state institution conducts its work without fear or favour, so that many who have paved the way for billions of Rand to be stolen from the people of South Africa are held accountable for their actions sooner rather than later.