Judges Matters Advocacy Organisation says the suspension of Justice Department Director General Advocate Doctor Mashabane and Deputy Director General Jabu Hlatshwayo of the ICT division was unexpected.

This follows their failure to ensure the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into criminality, political interference, and corruption in the Criminal Justice System could start as scheduled on 1 September.

A new date for the commencement of the Madlanga Commission is not yet known.

A full investigation and disciplinary process are under way.

Judges Matters Research and Advocacy Officer, Mbekezeli Benjamin says Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi’s decision to place the two senior officials on immediate suspension could be hasty.

“Accountability is always a good thing, so it’s important to see accountability being taken or steps towards accountability being taken. However, in the context of this issue – we really have enough details to check whether it [was] a correct decision to suspend [the] two very senior officials over issues related to procurement especially because the commission was only announced a few weeks ago and it would have been expected it would take a bit of time to get the system set up. So it’s quite surprising to see that within a few days, two senior officials are suspended over lapses that relate to procurement for the commission.”

PODCAST | Two suspended over scheduled start of the Madlanga Commission: