The Madlanga Commission has announced that its hearings, initially set to begin on 1 September 2025, will no longer commence on that date.

This is due to delays in the procurement of essential infrastructure by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

The Madlanga Commission was tasked with investigating criminality, political interference, and corruption within the criminal justice system.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System said the delay was beyond its control and stemmed from unmet commitments by the Department, which had previously assured the Commission that all necessary infrastructure would be procured in time for the hearings to start.

“In the media statement of 20 August 2025, the Commission stated that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development was in the process of procuring the Commission’s infrastructure requirements that were necessary for the Commission to commence its hearings,” the Commission said.

“It made this announcement based on unequivocal commitments made to it by the Department that the requirements would have been procured in time. Unfortunately, those commitments have not been met.”

Spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said the Commission was ready to begin hearings but was left with no option but to delay.

“But for the lack of the requirements that the Department has failed to procure, the Commission would otherwise have been ready to commence the hearings on 1 September 2025,” he said.

“Regrettably, the Commission is now left with no choice but to reschedule the starting date.”

The delay means the Commission has lost time in the three months allocated to prepare its interim report, having yet to hear a single witness.

“What is most regrettable is that a substantial portion of the three-month period at the end of which the Commission is expected to submit an interim report has gone by without the Commission having heard a single witness. This is not of the Commission’s making,” Michaels said.

The Commission said it would only set a new starting date once all infrastructure requirements have been fully met.

”The Commission considers it best to fix a new date for the commencement of its hearings once everything that needs to be procured by the Department is in place. 

“It also wishes to assure South Africans that it is doing everything within its power to ensure that the first witness will take the stand as soon as possible after everything has been procured by the Department,” Michaels said. 

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za

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