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Zondo seeks to extend inquiry again

Deputy chief justice says the extension is vital

Mawande Amashabalala

Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo is applying to the high court for another extension of the state capture inquiry, saying he is determined to do a thorough job. Zondo said he was asking for a further three months for the inquiry, from July to September.

Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo is applying to the high court for another extension of the state-capture inquiry, saying he is determined to do a thorough job.

Commission chair Zondo said on Thursday that he was asking for a further three months for the inquiry, from July to September.

This is the fourth extension the commission has applied for and flies in the face of finance minister Tito Mboweni’s pledge that the Treasury will not fund the probe after its previous extension. The costs of running the commission now stand at about R1bn and include paying high fees to evidence leaders and investigators, as well as other administrative costs.

Zondo conceded that the SA public was getting tired of the inquiry, but insisted that it was a necessary pain for the country to turn over a new leaf against corruption and state capture in the public sector.

“I know some people within the public have grown very impatient with the commission, demanding that it should complete its work,” he said.

“Some of the people who say that do so in good faith, but others for their own reasons. I am keen that the work of the commission will be completed as soon as possible. One thing I will not do is to end the work of the commission in an irresponsible manner.

“When I started with this commission, I made it clear that we will do our work properly. That remains very important. We will not seek to act in a haphazard manner,” Zondo said.

He said the extension was meant to be used to compile his report, which he was confident would be wrapped up no later than by the end of August.

The Zondo commission, officially known as the judicial commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture, is a public inquiry launched by former president Jacob Zuma in January 2018 to “investigate allegations of state capture, corruption, fraud and other allegations in the public sector”.

Zuma was forced to establishing the commission after former public protector Thuli Madonsela claimed that his friends, the Gupta brothers, had illegally obtained billions of rand from the government and stateowned enterprises by using their closeness to him.

Claims were also made that the Guptas had become so powerful that they were influencing the appointment and dismissal of cabinet ministers.

Just a month ago, the department of justice announced a fresh allocation of R75m from its budget to enable the commission to pay its staff. It also said more money was needed to allow it to complete its mandate.

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2021-06-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-06-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

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