When some idea or other becomes a buzzword, especially if it sounds impressive or alarming, it is time to stay calm, take a deep breath and think about it. "Quiet diplomacy", "Western plot", "National Development Plan", "innocent until proven guilty", are buzzwords that served the ANC’s political purposes in the past. Now the party has a dire warning for us of "state capture".State capture refers to the control of the state by substantial private interests, the state thereby losing its independence and the power to legislate and act for all. France before the 1789 Revolution provides a good example of state capture: the state was hobbled by a privileged, untaxed aristocracy, which meant it had to raise money by selling state offices to a rising business class.As a modern example of state capture, the left likes to point to the US, the state there having lost much of its freedom of action to pressure groups. The National Rifle Association is the best known among very many.State capt...
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