Govt recovers R16bn in assets from state capture

The Cabinet said government had recovered more than R16 billion in assets as a result of the State Capture Commission.

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni said this was a significant return on investment, considering the state spent R1 billion on running the inquiry.

Taking stock of government's progress in implementing the recommendations at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, it noted that 57% of the recommended actions had now been addressed.

As at the end of December 2025, the Special Investigating Unit had recovered R2.8bn, the Asset Forfeiture Unit R8.1bn and the SA Revenue Service R5.4bn.

Cabinet noted that since the inquiry concluded in 2022, several reform actions had been taken.

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These included the passing of the Public Service Amendment Bill, which is awaiting the president’s assent, the appointment of an inspecting judge for the Investigating Directorate against Corruption, South Africa exiting the greylist of the Financial Action Task Force, and the drafting of a whistle-blower bill soon to be tabled in Parliament.

Ntshaveni said 34 of the 60 actions had been completed, and a further 11 were in progress.

"Twenty-three percent or 14 of the 60 actions are delayed but work is progressing, and only 2%, which translates to one action, requires attention," said Ntshaveni.

Ntshaveni said it was not possible to set a target for financial recovery related to state capture since these were linked to successful prosecutions.