Days of Zondo: The fight for freedom from corruption, by Ferial Haffajee

Impunity is built over time.

To look to the future, we must first understand the past. On 2 November 2016, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela recommended that then-President Jacob Zuma promulgate a Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. Chaired by Judge Raymond Zondo, the Commission began proceedings on 21 August 2018. After three years of staggering testimony, the breadth and depth of South Africa's capture was laid bare for a traumatised nation to comprehend. 

Days of Zondo is the definitive guide to what was formally exposed during the Commission, with players ranging from the Gupta family to former President Jacob Zuma, Salim Essa, Ace Magashule, Dudu Myeni, Brian Molefe, Angelo Agrizzi, numerous ministers and associates, business leaders and corporate entities.

Award-winning journalist Ferial Haffajee unravels this complex web of corruption and criminality, leading the reader through Zondo's biggest moments and most shocking admissions, making sense of the Commission's findings, and celebrating the whistle-blowers who first alerted us to what was going on, often at great personal cost.

Infographics give a bird's-eye view of key findings from the Commission's report, including how much money was spent, how much was lost and where it could have helped us improve the quality of life for ordinary South African citizens.

Days of Zondo is a riveting, shocking and at times emotional book that invites the reader into the depths of state capture. At the same time, it acknowledges and provides catharsis to its victims: the people of South Africa.