President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated that releasing the interim report of the Madlanga Commission could jeopardise the commission’s ongoing work and be unfair to witnesses who have not yet appeared before it.
The President was answering questions in the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon.
“The commission’s work is ongoing. In its interim report, the commission noted that it will require further evidence from a number of people who had not yet appeared before it.
“Beyond the referrals and recommendations that I have made public, it would be unfair to witnesses whose testimony is not complete or individuals against whom the commission has not yet made any findings to publicise the information at this stage.
“Furthermore, it may jeopardise investigations as well as lines of questioning of the commission, to make unconcluded avenues with regard to the investigation that could be made public,” he said.
Given the short time frame for the commission to complete its work – extended to 31 August 2026 just this week – all the reports will be made public once the final one is submitted.
A second interim report is expected at the end of May.
“This will be subject to any advice from the commission itself or other considerations on whether the publication of any portions of the report that may put persons who may have appeared before the commission in danger.
“We have already seen how a number of people who appeared before the commission have been targeted and some of them have been in serious danger,” he said.
No wrongdoer protected
The commission – led by Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga – was established by the President to investigate allegations made by Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on 6 July 2025 relating to criminality, political interference and corruption within the criminal justice system.
An interim report was handed over to President Cyril Ramaphosa in December last year.
The report made recommendations and referrals, including:
- Immediate criminal investigations must commence where evidence of wrongdoing is presented.
- There should be urgent decisions on prosecutions where required.
- With respect to individuals currently in law enforcement or intelligence services, where wrongdoing was found, the commission made recommendations on employment statuses on individuals, including whether they should be suspended.
At least 14 high-ranking South African Police Service (SAPS) members and Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) officials were referred for investigation after being identified as possible wrongdoers by the commission.
“To ensure that these matters are given the necessary attention, I directed the Minister of Police, as well as the National Commissioner, to constitute a special investigation task team reporting directly to the commissioner. The team will institute investigations against those identified by the commission for such investigation.
“Matters that require disciplinary action are currently being attended to by the relevant departments and some are resulting in suspensions,” President Ramaphosa told the National Assembly.
He assured citizens that throughout the process, government has been guided by “the fundamental principle of transparency and that South Africans must know the facts” about allegations made by Mkhwanazi.
“We will implement the recommendations from the commission and we will take action.
“I can give assurance that no one - who is either implicated or will be implicated - will be shielded. When the commission does its recommendations, we will act accordingly on those recommendations.
“In the end, we will make sure that when the report is issued, the South African public will be able to see what the commissions said and what action we are going to embark upon. No big name or small name, however they are connected, will be shielded. We can assure of that,” President Ramaphosa said.
Water crisis committee
On a question related to the establishment of the National Water Crisis Committee, President Ramaphosa said an action plan setting out the way to tackle the challenge, is being drafted - similar to the approach taken to resolve the energy crisis.
“Work is currently underway to finalise the national Water Action Plan and to…get the committee to start its proceedings which it will do this coming week.
“It is expected that it will be completed by the end of March in terms of the water plan,” he said.
The committee is faced with three priorities:
- Address immediate challenges in municipality water and sanitation delivery through a focus on limited number of municipalities
- Expedite institutional, financial and systemic causes of the water crisis
- Attract investment in water infrastructure, increasing both public and private sector investment and involvement
“The main causes of the water crisis are at local government level. Maintenance of municipal water and sanitation infrastructure has been neglected in many of our municipalities over decades. There is, therefore, a big backlog for the repair and the refurbishment of water services.
“Solving South Africa’s water crisis…requires a multi-faceted approach focused on institutional reform, infrastructure maintenance and human capital development at the local level,” he said.
Where necessary and guided by the Constitution, the National Water Act and the Water Services Act, national government will intervene in municipalities that are “failing to meet their obligations or that are failing to implement corrective measures”.
“We will also, where municipalities and municipal officials fail, take action against them and we will also be focusing on how they are contravening the requirements of the National Water Act. Where there is wrongdoing, they too will be charged.
“Where necessary, national government will assume responsibilities for water services in those municipalities that fail to discharge their responsibilities.
“As has been done to great effect by the National Energy Crisis Committee, the National Water Crisis Committee will bring together role players from across the state to undertake a clear set of focused and impactful interventions that will make a real and lasting difference in people’s lives,” President Ramaphosa said. – SAnews.gov.za
