JOHANNESBURG - The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into alleged police corruption was meant to begin on 1 September, but has been delayed by operational problems, including lack of IT infrastructure.
The inquiry is expected to run for six months at a projected cost of about R148 million.
Critics have questioned the price tag for a process that has no power to prosecute.
But the Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has defended both the commission and its budget.
She says resources were submitted to the National Treasury and the necessary funding was approved.
“I think where we are still sitting, the costs are not yet too much to raise an alarm,” Kubayi says.
The Justice minister was speaking to eNCA on the sidelines of the launch of the National Wills Week 2025, a campaign, which runs from 15 to 19 September.
It encourages South Africans to draft valid wills to secure their loved ones’ future.
Reacting further to the upcoming commission, Kubayi adds that the commission is essential to rebuild public trust in the justice system.
“The work is driven by government and we are conscious of that. We want this work to be done so that people can know that when they interact with the minister of justice, judges, prosecutors and police, there is ethics,” she says.
Kubayi stressed the commission’s goal is to root out “wrong elements” within the justice system and all levels of society.