State Duma second half of the 1990s, the Duma became an important forum for lobbying by regional leaders and businessmen looking for tax breaks and legislative favors. The work of the leading committees, such as those for defense, foreign affairs, or budget, attracted a good deal of media attention and lobbying activity. In the early 2000s, following the 1999 parliamentary elections, the pro-presidential Unity party and the Communist Party of the Russian Federation were the leading forces in the State Duma. A 2016 exposé by Dissernet showed that 1 in 9 members of the State Duma had obtained academic degrees with theses
Sibusiso Duma a 9mm Norinco pistol. On the evening of 14 October 2007, Duma and his accomplice Simphiwe Khesi had been drinking at a local shebeen. Leaving a little after 19:00, the men realised that there would be no taxis available, so planned to hijack a vehicle in order to get home. Finding a suitable vehicle, Duma shot and killed the occupant, First National Bank employee Patricia Kippen (39). The shooting brought attention from nearby residents causing the duo to abandon the vehicle. They soon found another likely target, shooting dead former Witness crime journalist Elaine Anderson (59). On 19 October 2007,