“MADLANGA COMMISSION WON’T BE TOLD WHO TO CALL,” SAYS JEREMY MICHAELS

Madlanga Commission Spokesperson Jeremy Michaels insists that no one can tell the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry as to who it may call to its hearings to come and testify.

An irritated Michaels said this in response to members of the United Civics Movement (UCM) who picketed at the headquarters of the commission on Tuesday demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa must also be summonsed to testify at the Commission which is based at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College in Tshwane.

“I don’t think there is anyone in the country who has doubts about the work and credentials of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry which you have attacked, and I must make it clear to you that no one is going to tell us how to do our work or who to call to the witness stand,” said Michaels.

UCM leader Mthunzi Luthuli told Tshwane Talks during the picket that President Cyril Ramaphosa has been implicated in testimonies revealed by many people who gave evidence at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, yet the Commission seems to be ignoring this matter.

“Ramaphosa has an executive oversight role over the security services of this country and if the security services of this country are in a mess, then it stands to reason that Ramaphosa must tell the country as to what it is that is wrong with the security services and what it is that he is doing about the aforesaid mess, but up to so far we haven’t heard anything from Ramaphosa,” said Luthuli who described Spokesperson Jeremy Michaels’ response to their demand as arrogant.

“If the Madlanga Commission completes its work without calling Ramaphosa to the stand, then that would amount to a travesty of justice,” he said.

Tumelo Mooki from Defend South Africa, which is one of the organisations affiliated to the UCM, said Ramaphosa must testify as to whether he knew all along about the shenanigans taking place in the security services because he receives briefings from the intelligence services of the country on a weekly basis.

“The Phala-Phala scandal in itself amounts to political interference in the affairs of the South African Police Service and Spokesperson Jeremy Michaels is ignorant of the fact that the rules and regulations of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry allow members of the public to make a request that a witness must be called to take the stand at the inquiry, and since the response of Michaels to our request is arrogant, then the next stage we will embark upon is to take the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry to court,” he threatened.