State capture labyrinth demands tireless collaboration
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Alumna gives credit to support and investigative team.
Respected Advocate Kate Hofmeyr (BA Hons 2001, LLB 2003) has been an evidence leader at the State Capture Commission since 2018, where she is responsible for the evidence of over 40 witnesses, including former ministers, directors-general, CEOs, CFOs, SOE board members and auditors.
On 24 March 2021 she led more than 360 alumni through three aspects of the commission: its “unusual origins”, its “machinery and mechanics” as well as insights into the different role commission advocates assume.
She outlined her Herculean task and despite many probing questions from attendees, she deftly permitted herself only one personal comment: “I had the considerable privilege of working with a team of four investigators from mid-2018 to mid-2020. They were without a doubt the most remarkable people I have worked with in my career.
“They came from a variety of backgrounds, from different parts of the country and between them they had forensic, criminal investigation and financial accounting skills. We met weekly and then daily. We had colour-coded excel spread sheets tracking every element of our investigations so that nothing would fall through the cracks.
“We were doggedly committed to doing our work to the best of our abilities. We laughed often, we cried on occasion (well it was only I who got teary-eyed), but we learnt an extraordinary amount from each other. It’s no exaggeration to say that by the end of our two-and-a-half years together, the investigators on my team were pointing us, the lawyers, to the areas of law that needed to be considered. I am sure that many of my colleagues on the legal team had similar experiences.
“What’s important to appreciate is that each time any of us appeared at the hearings to present evidence, we were presenting the product of thousands of hours of tireless investigative work.”
The full talk is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ysgIkHXoEA