Photo: Flickr / GCIS
Photo: Flickr / GCIS
Following almost three years of the State Capture Inquiry, it seems that DCJ Raymond Zondo will soon run the rule of the Commission for the final time. After securing a large cash injection from the justice department on Wednesday, Minister Ronald Lamola told the legal experts that they should aim to finish their work before a court-ordered deadline.
When will the State Capture Inquiry end?
As a direct result of revelations from the State Capture Inquiry, former Free State Human Settlements Department (FSHS) boss Nthimotse ‘Tim’ Mokhesi and former national human settlements director-general Thabane Zulu have been arrested alongside millionaire businessman Edwin Sodi – in connection with the province’s asbestos audit deal.
While addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Lamola confirmed that the State Capture Inquiry is aiming to finish its work ‘no later than Monday 30 June‘ – giving Zondo and his colleagues fewer than eight weeks to tie up their loose ends.
What is left to do for the Zondo Commission?
Although the hundreds of testimonies have been crucial in establishing the wide-ranging nature of state capture, there are still several issues to resolve: Cyril Ramaphosa is set to give his second leg of evidence later this month, and the Constitutional Court is still mulling on whether it can sentence Jacob Zuma to jail for skipping the Inquiry.
However, it seems there is now little wiggle room for parties to compromise. Lamola has publicly stated that the Commission should be done ‘by the end of June’ – and that included the production of a final report into state-sponsored corruption, something which is likely to be a key component in any attempted extradition of the Gupta brothers.
“The State Capture Inquiry should finish its work by the end of June, It is also in the hands of the chairperson of the commission of inquiry to ensure that it is so, and if there are difficulties, maybe he might raise at a certain point in time.”
