Justice Commission’s hearings delayed amid procurement setbacks

Justice Commission’s hearings delayed amid procurement setbacks

Zuko Komisa

• The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into criminality and corruption has postponed its hearings due to the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development failing to procure vital infrastructure.
• The delay means the commission will be unable to meet its original deadline for an interim report, despite being otherwise ready to proceed.
• The commission has expressed its frustration, stating that the delay is not its fault and a new start date has yet to be confirmed.

A Judicial Commission of Inquiry established to investigate criminality, political interference, and corruption within the criminal justice system has been forced to postpone its initial hearings, which were scheduled to begin on 1 September 2025.

The delay is a result of setbacks in acquiring essential infrastructure.

Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, the commission’s chairperson, expressed his regret in a statement, noting that the postponement was unavoidable.

The commission had previously announced the 1 September start date in a media statement on 20 August, based on “unequivocal commitments” from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development that the necessary infrastructure would be procured in time. However, these commitments were not met.

The commission stated that it was otherwise prepared to proceed with the hearings as planned.

The press statement highlighted that the delay means a significant part of the three-month period—during which the commission is meant to submit an interim report—has already passed without a single witness being heard.

The commission emphasised that the procurement issues were “not of the Commission’s making.”

A new start date for the hearings has yet to be announced.

READ NEXT: Suspected mining violence leaves five dead in North West