It is a matter of great national significance and relief that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has begun in earnest to pursue the alleged perpetrators of state capture crimes.

We are hopeful that the arrests this week of several individuals who facilitated and enabled state capture at Transnet signals the beginning of finally bringing to book the many crooks who actively participated in the widespread plunder of this country’s financial resources by the infamous Gupta brothers, who have since fled to Dubai.

State capture has inflicted a deep wound and pain to the soul of this nation. It is a pain that we never witnessed as a country since the demise of apartheid.

Many state-owned enterprises such as Eskom, Transnet and Prasa have been left in tatters and close to collapse following the looting frenzy, which was initiated and led by the Guptas as strategic assets of this country were criminally diverted for the brothers’ personal advantage.

It is sad to note how our own black executives in these entities were mainly the ones using their positions of authority and power to benefit the Guptas. Many corrupt activities were not done for any other purpose than to advance their own personal and political interests.

State capture must never be forgiven. It was an extremely disturbing scheme designed to gain financial rewards at the expense of the economy and the people of this country as procurement and related (state capture) crimes cost parastatals billions of rand in corrupt contracts.

We are therefore pleased with the high-profile arrests that have taken place. They come at a time when many South African citizens were beginning to doubt the NPA’s ability and resolve in pursuing and bringing all the perpetrators to book despite the tons of evidence presented at the state capture commission of inquiry.

This week’s blitz must surely have resulted in sleepless nights for the many other crooks fingered by the Zondo commission.

We are, however, dismayed by those peddlers of misinformation who this week sought to politicise these arrests.

The argument that only black former executives are being targeted for the state capture crimes is mischievous. It is an act of political expediency that is meant to create doubt in the minds of the public and delegitimise the entire Zondo commission process. It is also meant to weaken the NPA’s pursuit of state capture criminals.

The NPA must not be discouraged from pursuing these crimes. It is something that is in the national interest to see state capture criminals jailed.

There will be no rule of law in this country if perpetrators are allowed to walk free and use social media to cause confusion and sow divisions.

The people of South Africa have waited for too long to see state capture hoodlums brought to book.

The NPA must not be swayed and instead move with more determination to ensure that many of those who have been fingered in state capture for facilitating fraud, corruption and financial misconduct against the state finally face the might of the law.

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