Madlanga Commission: SA's last line of defence?

THE Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Pretoria was buzzing with activity last Wednesday.

- DR. RENEVA FOURIE

The judicial commission of inquiry into criminality, political interference, and corruption within the criminal justice system, led by Acting Deputy Chief Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, officially commenced its inquiry.

The origins of this commission lie in the disclosures by KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mkhwanazi, on July 6 that a sophisticated criminal syndicate had allegedly infiltrated the highest echelons of the police, prosecutors, and even elements of the judiciary. Recognising the gravity of the allegations, President Ramaphosa announced the establishment of the Madlanga Commission on July 13.

Assassinations, corruption, manipulation of investigations, and the reckless levelling of baseless allegations have become recurrent features in the South African Police Service. In such a climate, suspicion permeates every interaction.

Boundaries between guilt and accusation, and politics and justice have become blurred. The situation is compounded by the collapse of safety and security in provinces such as the Western Cape, where communities live in fear and the police appear unable to restore order.

The rot appears systemic, implicating the very institutions that should provide oversight and accountability, and casting doubt on the state's capacity to uphold the rule of law. The task before the Madlanga Commission is not simply to identify guilty individuals. It must expose the conditions that enabled the rot to spread and propose mechanisms to rebuild trust in law enforcement.

Justice Madlanga recognised the enormity of the responsibility assigned to the commission. He opened the deliberations by emphasising that the scale of the allegations and their implications for South African democracy demanded urgency.