State Capture inquiry to start on August 20
27 July 2018
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has announced that the judicial commission of inquiry into allegations of State Capture will officially begin on August 20.
Zondo made the announcement at a media briefing in Johannesburg on Friday.
Earlier this week, Zondo welcomed a decision by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria which granted his request for an order to extend the inquiry for a further two years.
"It brings relief to the commission, the secretary and his staff, the commission's legal team and investigators since we are given more time to do this very important work...," Zondo said on Tuesday.
Zondo launched an urgent application on July 19, asking for an order extending the 180 days within which the commission is required to complete its work.
The period of 180 days was included in the remedial action of the State of Capture report released by former Public Protector advocate Thuli Madonsela in October 2016.
On Monday, the High Court in Pretoria granted an order calling upon various persons including the president and Public Protector to show cause as to why the period of 180 days should not be extended by 24 months, calculated from March 1.
The court also made an order to the effect that, pending the return day, the period of 180 days mentioned in its order of December 13, 2017 "is extended for a further 24 months calculated from 1 March 2018".
The order of December 13, 2017, was made by the court when it dismissed the review application that had been brought by former president Jacob Zuma.
