The Civil Society Working Group on State Capture is a coalition of over 23 civil society organisations. The mandate of the working group has been to both support and strengthen the work of the Zondo Commission (State Capture Commission of Inquiry) while maintaining oversight over the commission in the interests of the public. The working group has achieved this through various means using advocacy, engagement with the commission and by making over 15 evidence-based submissions to the commission. In addition to this, the Working Group successfully held the first People’s Hearing on State Capture which was created to openly engage with the public and hear evidence of how state capture has impacted on lives.The findings made by the panel presiding over the People’s hearing were shared with the commission in November 2019 and serves as a powerful reminder to all of what the human cost of state capture has and continues to be.
In February 2020, the working group submitted an Agenda for Action: Joint submission with recommendations geared at strengthening the findings of the commission and notably calls on Judge Zondo to release an interim report given its extension-this will assist to bolster accountability.
The working group continues to advocate for the implementation of its joint submission recommendations as well as maintain oversight over the commission, law enforcement agencies and the private sector “enablers of state capture”.
Open Secrets acts as the secretariat of the Civil Society Working Group on State Capture.