Don’t dilly-dally with Phala Phala report

South Africa must be the world champions for establishing commissions of inquiry – not only for the sheer number of probes, but also for the duration it takes to wrap it up.

Suspected corruption here … a panel of inquiry is just the thing. Theft there … no problem, put together another probe. The Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, led by then Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, took just under four years to complete.

A whopping 278 witnesses were heard, 159 109 pages were collected and eight extensions were granted to finish its report. It cost close to R1 billion and yet very few – and no big fish – have actually been prosecuted as a result.

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Now, acting public protector Kholeka Gcaleka says the probe into the Phala Phala burglary involving President Cyril Ramaphosa could take two years. Really?

Gcaleka said: “We would like to finalise our investigation before two years. We cannot take shortcuts. It needs to be a legally sound report to stand the test of scrutiny.”

We have no problem that the public protector doesn’t want to rush it and possibly make mistakes. It does involve the president, after all. But two years? The quicker the facts are laid bare, the better. A country waits in anticipation.