OPENING REMARKS BY JUSTICE MBUYISELI MADLANGA, CHAIRPERSON OF THE JUDICIAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO CRIMINALITY, POLITICAL INTERFERENCE AND CORRUPTION IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ARISING FROM THE SPECIFIC ALLEGATIONS MADE PUBLIC BY LIEUTENANT GENERAL NHLANHLA MKHWANAZI ON
6 JULY 2025
A very good morning to everyone gathered here today and to those watching remotely on whatever platform.
The interest shown by the South African public in this investigation is not surprising.
I say so because the allegations made by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi on 6 July 2025 concern a grave subject matter: the subject of the alleged infiltration of, or exertion of undue
influence on, the criminal justice system.
If the allegations are proved to be true, that spells doom for South Africa’s criminal justice system.
A healthy criminal justice system is key to the rule of law and, in turn, to a functioning constitutional democracy.
With a criminal justice system that is populated by malleable and corrupt functionaries, many criminals especially those holding positions of influence will rarely, if ever, answer for their
criminal deeds.
Also, malleability, corruption and dysfunctionality in the criminal justice system are at odds with what we, South Africans, expect of and are entitled to from a criminal justice
system.
At the centre of any functioning constitutional democracy is a well functioning criminal justice system.
If you subvert the criminal justice system, you subvert the rule of law and constitutional democracy itself.
The subversion of the criminal justice system may take any number of forms.
Without purporting to be exhaustive, it may come as downright intimidation.
It may consist of improper promises
or inducements.
It may take the form of corruptly influencing the decision-making or functioning of those responsible for the smooth running of the system.
All these forms and others are a
cancer to what a proper criminal justice system should be.
Ours, from today onwards, is to investigate whether our criminal justice system is what it should be or whether it has been infiltrated by criminal syndicates.
Words from us must end here, and
we must start with the investigative process.
Copy of legal team’s opening address:
Copy of Inforgraphic timeline: