The commission, initially scheduled to commence tomorrow, has already been marred by contradicting comments between the commissioner and police minister.
The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System has got off to a bumpy start, with those occupying top offices publicly calling each other out.
On Tuesday, 26 August, Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga disappointed South Africans when he announced that the hearings would not commence tomorrow due to delays in procuring vital infrastructure.
Madlanga stated that the commission decided on the 1 September date based on the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development’s commitment on 20 August to procure the Commission’s infrastructure requirements necessary for the Commission in time to commence its hearings.
“Unfortunately, those commitments have not been met. It has since become clear that the Commission will not be able to start the hearings as scheduled. But for the lack of the requirements that the Department has failed to procure, the Commission would otherwise have been ready to commence the hearings on 1 September 2025,” said Mdlanga.
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He assured South Africans that the commission would do everything within its power to ensure that the first witness takes the stand as soon as possible after everything has been procured by the department.
Police Commissioner and the dockets
On Thursday, 28 August, National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola announced that the 121 case dockets taken from the political killings task team in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) would be returned to the province.
Speaking to the media on the second day of the 27th Interpol African Regional Conference in Cape Town, Masemola stated that the dockets were traced at the police headquarters in Pretoria and would be checked against the original records for discrepancies.
“The detectives are busy making copies, and then from there they will be sent back to the provincial commissioner. He will allocate them back to the political killings task team, and investigations will continue,” Masemola said.
Masemola’s announcement did not seem to hold much weight until Minister of Police Professor Firoz Cachalia released a statement on Friday, lamenting the commissioner’s decision to return the dockets.
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Cachalia said shortly after his appointment, he requested the commissioner to furnish him with a detailed report on the task team. This report has not yet been submitted, he said.
“I was appointed by the president to ensure the integrity of the Saps during this difficult time and build public trust in this vitally important organisation. I recognise that the allegations made in relation to the Political Killings Task Team are of immense public interest,” said Cachalia.
“The Political Killings Task Team is at the centre of the allegations made by the Provincial Commissioner and will be dealt with by the Commission. It is a concern, therefore, that steps are being taken in relation to this matter before the Commission has had a chance to investigate the issues surrounding the Task Team. I have requested the National Commissioner to submit his report without further delay.”
Ramaphosa ‘unhappy’
On Sunday, a report in City Press indicated that President Cyril Ramaphosa is dissatisfied with the conduct of the commissioner and the minister, which is now playing out in public.
A senior source reportedly told the publication that Ramaphosa had questioned the timing of Masemola’s decision to remove the dockets from Pretoria.
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“The president did express his displeasure to minister Cachalia at both the action by Masemola and the subsequent media statement. The president views it as imprudent for the leadership of the SAPS to start tinkering with areas or issues that are contained in the allegations made by Mkhwanazi, which are now a subject of inquiry by the Madlanga Commission,” Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya was quoted as saying by the publication.
Good start?
Political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast told The Citizen that the unfolding events do not paint a good picture about the upcoming commission, tasked with investigating serious allegations that pose a threat to the country’s security architecture.
“It’s very interesting because the allegation that has been made by [KZN police commissioner Nhlanhla] Mkhwanazi at the heart of everything that he said is the issue of corruption, and now you have a commission that was set out to kick off on a particular day being moved to the right and one suspects that that also has to do with corruption.
“So, the same corruption that the commission is meant to instigate is the same corruption that is holding back. Of course, there has been someone who has been put on a suspension but I’m not sure if that is enough or if it’s just a fall guy that was being used to divert our attention because this commission is quite important in terms of uncovering the truth about what had happened and to verify some of the things that have been laid bare in public.”
Although he believes the commission will be allowed to run its course, its postponement is “problematic”.
