Another Commission? Mr President, Did You Forget Zondo?

On Sunday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the establishment of yet another commission — this time to investigate the failings of law enforcement agencies. But South Africans have every right to ask: Did no one in the Union Buildings remind him that we already spent over R2 billion on the Zondo Commission to uncover exactly this?

Zondo Already Warned Us

The Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, chaired by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, spent nearly four years documenting how corruption hollowed out our public institutions — and how law enforcement and intelligence agencies were deliberately weakened to enable it.

Zondo’s report didn’t simply expose corruption. It laid bare how SAPS, the NPA, and the State Security Agency (SSA) were systematically captured to protect looters and punish whistleblowers. This wasn’t just administrative failure — it was strategic sabotage.

Clear Recommendations Were Already Made

Zondo made detailed, practical, and urgent recommendations:

• Reform and strengthen law enforcement and intelligence services
• End political interference in senior appointments
• Restore independence and credibility to oversight institutions
• Prosecute those implicated in state capture

These recommendations weren’t vague. They were actionable. And yet, they have largely been ignored.

Why Are We Paying for Déjà Vu?

Instead of implementing the Zondo Commission’s findings, government has chosen repetition over reform. What is this new commission going to tell us that Zondo didn’t already reveal?

We don’t need more talk. We need consequences. We need a functioning justice system that doesn’t bend to political power. We need prosecutions that don’t take ten years. We need a President who acts — not one who commissions.

Commissions Are Not Accountability

Let’s be clear: real reform means acting on what we already know. Real accountability means putting the corrupt behind bars — not creating more platforms for media statements and photo ops. South Africans are exhausted by inquiry fatigue. We want results. We want justice.

Start with Accountability at the Top

If the President truly wants to restore public trust, perhaps he should begin by putting his own Minister of Justice and senior advisors on special leave — for failing to implement Zondo’s recommendations, and for failing to warn him that this new commission is a political embarrassment.

Accountability doesn’t begin with a new commission. It begins with consequences.

* Tahir Maepa, Secretary General – Public Service and Commercial Union of South Africa (PSCU), Founder – Resistance Against Impunity Movement (RAIM) NPC.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.