Prosecutions coupled with zero-tolerance culture key to fighting SA’s corruption scourge

Corruption has long been an unhappy and increasingly harmful feature of the South African political, economic and business landscape. The extreme scale of this insidious problem came into sharp focus during the inquiry into State capture, however, which unearthed not only the far-reaching nature of the scourge but also the threat it posed to very foundations of the country's democratic institutions. At the heart of the State capture scandals were a handful of influential families and their close ties to top government officials. The Gupta family, in particular, has come under intense scrutiny for its alleged involvement in corrupt practices and their wielding of undue influence over key government appointments and policies.