Public confidence in commissions of inquiry erodes, warns HSRC

THE Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) has raised the alarm about the erosion of public confidence in commissions of inquiry.

- YOSHINI PERUMAL

This was after recently released research — titled Public Opinion, Procedural Justice, and Democratic Consolidation of the Zondo Commission of Inquiry — indicated that people were concerned about the implementation of recommendations from commissions being “value for money”.

They have cautioned that if prosecutorial action was not taken to meet public expectations, then confidence in commissions of inquiry would fade.

The HSRC released the findings and recommendations from research on public attitudes towards the Zondo Commission over several years, and conducted a review on the progress of the implementation of recommendations.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa instituted a commission of inquiry to investigate allegations relating to the infiltration of law enforcement, intelligence and associated institutions within the criminal justice system by criminal syndicates.

Dr Benjamin Roberts, research director for the HSRC, said the research indicated that the public was evenly divided in terms of positive and negative views on the Zondo Commission’s success in gathering evidence of corruption, and the avoidance of procedural errors

“Perceptions of the effectiveness and impartiality of the Zondo Commission were crucial determinants of overall performance evaluations of the Commission. The public was very critical in assessing the time the commission took to complete its activities, and this view became harsher between the survey years in 2021 and 2022. However, the views on duration did not have an adverse impact on the overall commission performance evaluations,” Roberts added.

In terms of procedural fairness, the findings showed that the public rated the commission favourably regarding its respectful treatment of people appearing before it in 2021 and 2022.