The commencement of the hearings of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System – known as the Madlanga Commission – has been delayed.
In a statement, the commission explained that this has been caused by delays in the procurement of vital infrastructure – pushing back the previously announced date of 1 September for the commencement of hearings.
“[The commission] made this announcement based on unequivocal commitments made to it by the Department [of Justice and Constitutional Development] that the requirements would have been procured in time. Unfortunately, those commitments have not been met. As a result, 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. Regrettably, the Commission is now left with no choice but to reschedule the starting date,” the statement read.
The commission described it as “regrettable” that a “substantial portion of the three-month period at the end of which the commission is expected to submit an interim report has gone by without the commission having heard a single witness”.
“This is not of the Commission’s making.
“The Commission considers it best to fix a new date for the commencement of its hearings once everything that needs to be procured by the department is in place. It also wishes to assure South Africans that it is doing everything within its power to ensure that the first witness will take the stand as soon as possible after everything has been procured by the department,” the statement concluded.
Led by former Constitutional Court Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, the commission was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
– SAnews.gov.za
