Third time lucky
Ramaphosa reluctantly agrees to another delay in delivery of the Zondo report
The State Capture Inquiry has lodged yet another postponement request with the High Court.
Judge Raymond Zondo will miss the December 31 deadline to deliver the final report of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Instead, the commission’s secretary Professor Itumeleng Mosala will go to court before the end of December to seek a postponement.
Zondo plans to complete an interim report by the end of December, part two of an interim report by the end of January, and part three by the end of February when it will finally shut up shop.
Zondo told Ramaphosa about the delay last week. “Although the president would have liked to receive a complete report by the end of December, he understands the commission’s position,” said the commission. Mosala says the commission will not require further funding to complete its work. It has already cost South Africans R1-billion, and recouped R1,7-billion from McKinsey.
Why the delay? “Our recent assessment has revealed that, while parts of the report relating to certain work streams or state-owned entities and topics will be ready by the end of December, there are some parts that will still need further work beyond the end of December if the commission is not to compromise the quality of the report,” the commission noted in a statement.
Zondo applied for a postponement in September and set December 31 in stone as a final delivery date.
The commission’s terms of reference are complex, sweeping and lengthy. They include:
- How much corrupt networks influenced the national executive, including deputy ministers;
- Whether the Gupta family offered former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas and former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor bribes and inducements;
- Whether former president Jacob Zuma had a role in making the offers;
- Whether members of the national executive, public officials or employees of state-owned enterprises breached the Constitution or other codes by facilitating the award of tenders to benefit the Gupta families and others; and
- The nature and extent of corruption in government.
It’s a huge mandate, but the commission has had over three years to investigate and hear testimony. Some members of civil society are critical of Zondo’s repeated requests for postponements to deliver the final report. But others, like Madeleine Fullard of the National Prosecuting Authority’s missing persons task team, are more sympathetic. “As someone who worked on the TRC report, they have my sympathy and support. Masses of data, multiple authors submitting last-minute drafts requiring huge amounts of editing and integration to try to achieve one ‘voice’. Sub-section after sub-section. The cross-referencing, the checking! It is an epic process. It needs a year,” Fullard wrote on Twitter.
The TRC was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which probed apartheid crimes against humanity. Testimony to the commission is contained in 429 transcripts with copious legal documents, including affidavits and supporting documents. DM
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How condiderate of McKinsey….now they can actually say they contributed in some way to something that has the potential to add value (or not).
“Reluctantly agree”. OMG isn’t that rich!. The report will come in 3 parts, with 17 sub-headings, or topics. It will take CR at least 3 years to read it, as it will be thicker than the Bible (or Koran if you prefer). The fact is that he and his party will conveniently and blatantly ignore at least 6 of those topics. The ANC also ignored the fact that their master, Zuma, was the one and only instigator of state capture, which they knew all along. For ten years they gave him their full support, the biggest criminal that this country has ever seen, or will see, ever. Reluctantly agree, CR is only to darn glad that he does not have to read the whole report just after Xmas/New Year. But then of course, he has always been slow, like a snail trying to walk a thin rope between two poles. Let Zondo finish his report. Those that oppose is, are obviously worried what it might, and will, contain!
Re “gave him their full support” … not unlike the Republicans in the US did for Trump . The mindset of unprincipled politicians is remarkable … for all the wrong reasons ! Promote cadreship at any cost !
“Watch this space…..keep watching….don’t look away!” “Trust the process….we are clamping down on offenders!”
The problem is that corruption is happening at warp speed and those “clamping down” are acting at walking speed… it is a battle that will never be won because no one “in charge” is actually serious about putting a real end to this.
If for every 100 corrupt acts, perhaps 5 end up in court and 1 is convicted over 10 years…. then it is statistically easier to get away with corruption than it is to die from Covid!
Changing the culture of politicians in Africa, is like trying to turn a pig into a unicorn by feeding it better quality food.
Unfortunately Zondo and his perpetual postponements are becoming quite the joke. Has he no idea? But I guess we live in Africa, so … time is nothing.
It is simply a massive job pulling so much information together and drafting a report that is readable and understandable. I should think that the advocates that have been involved in the commission will be doing most of the leg work.
At R40k per day, time is in fact EVERYTHING for these lawyers.
R1m a month is easy money.
Nice if you can get it. I’d write up some of that report for that payday.
Hopefully SARS gets an advance copy so that they can attach assets before they are dispersed.
Crooks don’t declare their incomes. SARS has a massively lower burden than NPA criminal files to prove unreported gains, non-compliance with tax and VAT returns, impose 300% plus interest penalties, etc.
Cars, watches, houses, farms, profit shares, etc etc
Watch THAT space for the real action.
I’m shocked, not! This was predictable from afar, quite consistent with Zondo’s record.
Let’s hope this is the only problem the commission will experience and the will at least be jail for the criminals and the money will be recovered.
I am not holding my breath.
I’m sure CR will continue ‘reluctantly agreeing’ to postpone the Zondo report until after the ANC elections in 2022 and maybe until after the general election in 2024. The only impact of the entire commission is to show that there has been zero accountability and absolutely zero honour in the ANC and there is simply no one that comes out of it with any form of respect.
Very true that … but then, there is no respect nor integrity in the anc is there?