While President Cyril Ramaphosa told a dialogue on building a corruption-free SA that the fight against corruption "is gaining momentum', this sentiment was not shared by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.

The work done by the State Capture Commission, chaired by now Chief Justice Raymond Zondo at a cost of just over R1-billion, has been lauded internationally as extraordinary, despite the snail's pace in implementing key findings at home.

Professor Christopher Stone, from Oxford University's School of Government in the UK, said although graft was prevalent in governments worldwide, the commission's 5,500-page report had done an exceptional job in highlighting corrupt acts and had had a global impact.

"There's a degree of public accountability that the commission has achieved in its observations and recommendations... The Chief Justice went out of his way to highlight not just the corrupt acts, but people who stood up to corruption," Stone said.

He was speaking at the two-day National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council's (Nacac's) dialogue in Boksburg this week on building a corruption-free South Africa.

The council, chaired by Firoz Cachalia, was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa in August 2022 to advise on SA's anti-corruption institutional architecture, among other functions.

'Long road ahead'

Speaking at the event, Ramaphosa said that after 1994, there were hopes that democratic SA would herald a "new era of integrity, honesty and ethical conduct by all in positions of responsibility", but...