Zondo Commission To Focus On Parliament When Hearings Resume

Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Wednesday said when the state capture commission of inquiry resumed, it would focus on Parliament’s oversight functions over the executive and whether it failed in its mandate to hold government officials accountable for state capture.

Zondo said public hearings would resume at the end of June.

“Parliament – by virtue of its oversight functions – has a big role to play to make sure that is done. But Parliament must have adequate and proper mechanisms and perform its functions,” the deputy chief justice said during a virtual press briefing.

He said while the lockdown had impacted on the inquiry’s already tight deadline, he expected it to finish its work before the end of March next year.

Zondo said several questions needed to be asked.

“Members of the public would be entitled to say ‘where was Parliament as all of this was happening?’ and one of the things I’ve said we would look at is how did Parliament exercise its oversight functions,” he said.

Zondo also confirmed that former President Jacob Zuma was expected to appear before the inquiry as soon as the inquiry resumed with its work.

EWN