Justice Minister Wants Zondo Commission’s Budget Capped

The Justice Department is no longer fighting the Zondo Commission’s attempts to get a three-month extension.

The inquiry’s legal team returned to the North Gauteng High Court asking for even more time to finish its work.

The commission’s price tag hovers around the R1-billion mark.

The three-year-old commission’s last extension came in June with that period expiring on Thursday.

But commission chairperson, Raymond Zondo, says he’s still busy writing what’s expected to be a lengthy final report after hearing testimony from 330 witnesses.

Zondo wants to extend his mandate until December.

Initially, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola wasn’t happy, claiming that another extension was unconstitutional and that Zondo should only get another six weeks, due to the ballooning price tag.

In a statement on Tuesday night, Lamola has since dropped the case, saying if there was another extension its price tag should be capped at R15-million.