Cetshwayo Zindabazezwe Mabhena, in the Sunday News’ opinion and analysis, has said that ‘state capture’ is a metaphor that is used to hide corruption and political patronage.
Mabhena observed that the metaphor is commonly used in South Africa, a country viewed as different from the rest of Africa.
For Mabhena, it is artless to use that catchy metaphor as it conceals bad habits. Mabhena noted:
Instead of calling it what it exactly is, corruption and political patronage, the South African exceptionalists elect to call it “state capture” which perhaps gives the bad habit an air of fancy superiority.
Mabhena also fears that if better words are used to describe bad things, bad habits will become normal. The writer added:
When corruption through political patronage becomes commonsense and is naturalised politics and leadership quickly decay. Big politicians no longer have advisors but get surrounded by choirs of enterprising flatterers and praise singers that spurn praises and celebrations even for the silliest decisions of the leaders.
Real state capture for Mabhena should mean the scenario whereby a few individuals, white or black continue to have monopoly over state resources even when the state is said to have gained independence.
The real state capture in the fancy Republic hides in how the wealth and resources of the land remain monopolised by the white population and a few privileged blacks. True state capture is systemic and structural in the way in which it is even protected by the courts and constitutions of the Global South.
More: Sunday News
African political leaders are the greatest devils we have today sinking africa life and systems were better under colonialism than under liberation movement the only wrong thing on colonialism was segregation and taking of land but under black leaders there is more suffering since most of them are thieves killers selling our minerals to chinese and russians look how poor zim is but chinese are looting illigal mineral mining benefitting politicians and evil arny generals zimbabwe is the only country lead by the devil and killers smith was better he never kill one of his own unlike killer zanupf 20000 ndebeles thousands who disappeared those who were shot looting of minerals zanupf and their evil chinese are the worst devil in africa
Kkkk the state and many countries in Africa have indeed been captured by organized crime and that is the root cause of why Africa is suffering. When we knowingly vote in corrupt individuals and criminals what do you expect