It would be a serious mistake to regard former president Jacob Zuma as a lone ranger in the story of the capture of the South African state. While it is commonly accepted that there are many actors — from big business and within the state bureaucracy — who were part of the choir of criminals singing from the Guptas’ hymn sheet, the political analysis of state capture often isolates Zuma in a way that obscures deeper truths.

Part 2 of the state capture commission's report details the gross interference of Zuma in appointing a group CEO at Transnet when Barbara Hogan was minister of public enterprises. After Maria Ramos had left, the hunt was on for a successor. The board had preferred, after going through the relevant candidate evaluation processes, Sipho Maseko...