Commission to probe police scandal postponed amid procurement failures; top officials face sanctions

Key topics:Commission hearings delayed after vital infrastructure not procured.Minister Kubayi suspends top officials over procurement failures.Ramaphosa informed as reputational damage sparks accountability drive.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Kerry Lanaghan.South Africa’s Madlanga Commission, set up to investigate alleged political interference and corruption in the criminal justice system, has been postponed due to failure to procure vital infrastructure, sparking swift administrative action.According to TimesLIVE, the commission, chaired by retired Constitutional Court justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, was slated to begin public hearings on 1 September. However, Madlanga announced that the hearings could not commence as scheduled, attributing the delay to the Department of Justice’s failure to procure the necessary infrastructure despite earlier assurances that everything would be in place.This failure comes at a critical time. President Cyril Ramaphosa established the commission to investigate explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, who accused Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu of overstepping his remit and interfering in criminal investigations. The delay means the commission will have used up a significant part of its three-month window without hearing a witness - a situation Madlanga said “is not of the commission’s making”. He stressed that hearings will be rescheduled once procurement is completed, assuring South Africans of the commission’s commitment to begin as soon as possible.In response to the procurement debacle, SowetanLIVE reports that Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi took decisive action. She suspended Jabu Hlatshwayo, the deputy director-general responsible for ICT in the department, and initiated disciplinary proceedings against the department’s director-general, Adv. Doc Mashabane. Kubayi explained that both failed to exercise due diligence in ensuring timely procurement processes and delivery, which compromised the commission’s ability to start on time.Kubayi detailed how she convened meetings with both the commission and departmental officials as soon as she learned of the anticipated delays, in an effort to find a lawful intervention. However, she noted that interfering in the procurement channel risked violating the Public Finance Management Act and associated supply chain policies. Following these developments, she informed President Ramaphosa and submitted a full report, after which she was empowered to enforce disciplinary measures.She candidly acknowledged the reputational damage this delay inflicted on her department but emphasised the importance of accountability. She said she had personally apologised to the president for the lapse under her watch. Kubayi assured that progress has been made in securing venues for both the Madlanga Commission (Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria) and the Khampepe Commission (Sci-Bono Discovery Centre in Newtown), though ICT readiness remains the biggest obstacle. She confirmed that procurement for secure ICT infrastructure - including forensic data storage, cybersecurity solutions, streaming services, and related platforms - is now at the award stage and should be concluded imminently.

Commission to probe police scandal postponed amid procurement failures; top officials face sanctions

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