JOHANNESBURG – Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng on Wednesday said the terms of reference of the judicial commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture can be amended by President Cyril Ramaphosa if the public makes such a request.
In the wake of testimony by the former President Jacob Zuma this week, some now say the scope of the commission is too narrow to achieve the desired outcome.
Mogoeng said Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo doesn’t have the powers to amend them.
“The terms of reference are determined by the president. Nobody but the president can change them,” Mogoeng said. “I can’t change them, you can’t change them, but you can influence the change of those terms of reference”.
Mogoeng made the comments during his 67 minutes’ leadership talk on the eve of International Mandela Day, which is marked every year on 18 July.
POLITICAL PARTIES’ FUNDING
At the same time, Mogoeng reiterated calls for the government to fund political parties for elections to avoid cases of state capture.
“Elections don’t come every month or every year, they come once in a while. Because we don’t want state capture, we’ve got to budget whatever number of millions are necessary to distribute among those that deserve to run for political office,” he said.
He said that allowing private individuals to fund politicians creates a breeding ground for corruption in the form of favours.
Mogoeng said there was no such thing as a “free lunch”.
Facebook Comments