The Presidency has confirmed its decision to deny public access to the interim report by the Madlanga commission of inquiry to protect witnesses.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the final report will be made available to the public and will advise the president on areas of national security sensitivity and how those areas will need to be managed.
This comes after three people of interest were identified in the recent murder of Madlanga commission witness Marius van der Merwe who was gunned down outside his home in Brakpan.
He gave vidence at the commission in November, claiming suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi had ordered him to dump the body of a man officers had killed during an interrogation involving “tubing”.
Several organisations have raised concerns over transparency when the presidency confirmed that the interim report of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry will not be made public.
Magwenya explained that additional evidence still needs to be heard before any findings can be released publicly and a number of witnesses who have already testified are expected to be recalled.
“The report the president will receive on December 17 will not be made available to the public, and the reasoning is simple to understand. Some who have come before the commission will be called back to continue with their evidence. Some had evidence located in specific areas, but not as broad as it was meant to be. Those witnesses are going to be given a chance to return to the commission to give that evidence. It’s not going to be helpful to start chewing and debating on something half-baked.”
The commission is expected to resume hearings in January next year as it continues to gather evidence
“The final report will be released to the public. The commission will advise the president on areas that are of national security sensitivity and how those areas will need to be managed,” Magwenya said.
The Forum for South Africa (FOSA) is among those who criticised the presidency for its continued lack of transparency.
“Why must South African taxpayers be deprived of information that they have directly funded? From the outset, FOSA rejected the Madlanga Commission, warning that it would serve as nothing more than a cover-up for corruption. Recent developments have now confirmed our fears,” said the party.
“The truth can no longer be hidden, and South Africans deserve full disclosure. FOSA therefore demands the immediate public release and full publication of the Madlanga Commission report, without redactions. Transparency and accountability are not optional; they are constitutional obligations. The Presidency must stop undermining public trust and respect the people’s right to know how their money is spent and how decisions affecting the nation are made.”
In a separate statement, the Activists and Citizens Forum, through its secretary-general Dennis Bloem, said it was disturbed by reports suggesting the Madlanga Commission’s interim report would not be released to the public.
“Activists and Citizens Forum is extremely disturbed by media reports that the Madlanga Commission’s interim report will not be made public. The media reports claim that the presidency said that the report will not be made public.”
“If these reports are true, then we want to condemn this decision. We demand transparency and accountability, and not secrecy. We have said several times before, when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his decision to appoint a Commission of Inquiry headed by Retired Judge Madlanga that it is a tactic of the President to suppress the truth.”
