Akani Nkuna
THE EFF has said the loss of evidence database from the Zondo Commission of Inquiry is a disgraceful management and unacceptable considering that R1 billion of taxpayers’ money was spent on the Zondo Commission.
Reports have recently emerged that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCOD) has lost the digital evidence gathered during the Zondo Commission of Enquiry into State Capture, due to lack of maintenance on the servers in which the data was stored.
The loss of records further derail the National Prosecuting Authority’s endeavour to bring to book the corrupt individuals implicated in State Capture.
The EFF and Chief Justice Raymond Zondo who headed the Commission have over the year’s butted heads over what the EFF has characterised as “Zondo’s attributes to descend into the political arena’’, saying that it robs him of the judicial principles impartiality which his office demands.
The EFF believes that the Zondo Commission was instituted not for the persuasion of justice, but to settle political scores within the African National Congress (ANC).
Leigh-Ann Mathys, EFF spokesperson, said “Justice Raymond Zondo’s report was never intended for the effective prosecution of all corrupt politicians [implicated therein]; it was a tool for the factional battles within the ANC.”
Mathys further characterised the Zondo Commission as a “political weapon” and a “factional gossip” paraded as a report.
Additionally, EFF has pledged to follow up on the matter to ensure the recovery of the information lost as a result of this mismanagement does not come at the expense of taxpayers.
Tsekiso Machike, spokesperson in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Development, refuted the claims and reassured the public of the department’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the effective use of its data to support justice and governance.
“The Commission continues to supply and support all law enforcement agencies and other entities with data and information, as and when requested,” said Machike.
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