With the release of the final report from the State Capture commission that Thuli Madonsela set in motion, the former Public Protector warns of the gravity of what has been uncovered.

Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela wants the public to take away one urgent lesson from the findings of the State Capture commission: there is a critical difference between corruption and State Capture.

Speaking to Daily Maverick two days after the release of the final Zondo report, Madonsela said it was vital to understand how much more "nefarious" State Capture is.

In the case of ordinary corruption, she says, people are bribed for financial gain. But in the case of State Capture, people are not just being bribed, but being placed into certain key state roles to carry out specific actions.

"You [as a State Capture perpetrator] have substituted yourself for the democratic process. This is the undermining of democracy by hijacking the state," Madonsela said.

She believes that it is crucial that the State Capture commission's findings reach as many people as possible, because: "People should be afraid that this happened and that it could happen again."

Given the way in which secretive government bodies like the State Security...