Premier promises to move fast to release findings into political violence in KZN

KZN Premier Willies Mchunu to release Moerane commision report.
KZN Premier Willies Mchunu to release Moerane commision report.
Image: Jackie Clausen

Despite the spectre of political killings still looming large‚ it could take another month for the keenly-awaited Moerane Commission report to be made public.

The findings of the Moerane Commission into political killings‚ which have ravaged KwaZulu-Natal and turned the province into killing fields reminiscent of the 1980s‚ are still being considered by political principals in the province.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu‚ who received the Moerane Commission of Inquiry report into political killings in the province in June‚ handed it over to the provincial legislature to process. Only after that will it be tabled before the premier’s portfolio committee.

Once the report has been tabled before the committee‚ it will handed back to Mchunu‚ albeit this time with recommendations attached. The process doesn’t end there. Mchunu will then have another 21 days to consider the portfolio committee’s recommendations‚ before finally releasing the report to the public.

Mchunu’s spokesman Thami Ngidi told TimesLIVE that while the premier has 42 days in total to consider the report‚ he wanted to release it earlier.

“He has sent it to the legislature‚ which also has 21 days to process it‚ and is planning to table it before the premier’s portfolio committee‚ which is likely to discuss it and send it back to him with recommendations. The premier will consider it for 21 days‚” said Ngidi.

“The premier has 42 days in total. But he does not want to use all of it. He wants to release it earlier than that as he has not intention of keeping it from the public.”

Mchunu received the report from commission chairman Advocate Marumo Moerane on June 12‚ and assured the public that its findings cannot be disputed by anybody and that it was now “our responsibility to ensure that recommendations are implemented”.

Wonder Hlongwa‚ spokesman for the provincial legislature‚ confirmed that they had received the report and that it was now being processed by the relevant portfolio committee.

Nonhlanhla Khoza‚ who chairs the premier’s portfolio committee‚ said it was still going to process the report‚ which will be done jointly with the community safety portfolio committee.

“The process will take a long time but within 21 days. We need to engage the report as both committees and make recommendations before we send back it to the premier‚” she said.

The Moerane Commission‚ which cost the taxpayer R15-million‚ was set up by Mchunu to investigate a spate of killings in the province suspected to be politically-motivated. It wrapped up its work in April.

But its critics‚ including Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini the EFF‚ have labelled it as a waste money.

During the official opening of the KZN legislature‚ King Zwelithini questioned its establishment‚ arguing that intra-party killings were not politically motivated but acts of criminality.

The EFF‚ which testified before the commission‚ also tore into the establishment of the commission‚ saying there were no political killings in the province but intra-party killings within the ANC – and these over resources.

subscribe

Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.