Answer to Question #311948 in English for sphe

Question

state capture for instance has been given strange perception, especially in the last few years in South Africa.

Refer to the current topical development in the country and discuss the above statement

Answer 1

State capture is a form of systemic political corruption in which private interests have significant influence over a state's decision-making processes. In recent years, the concept of state capture has gained considerable popularity in South Africa's political and economic arenas. The strong relationship between South African President Jacob Zuma and the Gupta family sparked widespread alarm about the possibility of the South African state being captured. However, many observers claim that the concept of state capture has long been a part of the ruling party's operations, the African National Congress (ANC), but has been obscured by the fact that the South African state has never been recognized as a failed or failing state. This is largely because the ANC government retains complete administrative authority, is capable of maintaining some measure of peace, and is capable of reliably providing public goods to its citizens.

State capture erodes the state's efficiency, much more so when there is a direct link between state capture and corruption, as is now occurring in South Africa. This occurs most frequently when a state, such as South Africa, pays more than it should for outsourced goods and services. State capture also jeopardizes the state's efficiency. This occurs as a result of poor quality services and public goods being delivered by patronage networks with less than capable service providers, fiscal resources being diverted away from public goods provision for the poor or value-adding economic endowments in favor of servicing some or other patronage network, and state capacity being weakened through the appointment of pliable but less than capable individuals to key positions, particularly in finance procurement and political bets.