KHAYA SITHOLE: Big players thrive on the state’s inefficiencies
The government fails to ensure the rules of the game are fair, consistent and transparent for all
If the country is to heal from the scourge of state capture, it will become important to identify what exactly underpinned the phenomenon. The essence of capturing the state has an amplified focus on directing public resources towards private hands. For a country with a procurement budget of hundreds of billions of rand, targeting that part of the state was always a stairway to heaven for those with the desire and tactics to pull it off. Governments do not generally make good business people. Rather, good governments are only regarded as such if they are able to create a conducive environment for business to thrive. This environment should create pathways for new entrants to markets and also offer various forms of policy certainty that level the playing field. Regrettably, our state has yet to identify the right formula for ensuring the rules of the game are fair, consistent and transparent for all players, local and foreign, and progressively break down barriers for new entrants. T...
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