POLL | Zondo commission to wrap up in June — has it done enough to curb corruption?

After sitting for almost three years, the state capture commission is set to finally wrap up in June.

Justice and correctional services minister Ronald Lamola made the announcement on Wednesday.

Lamola, who was briefing parliament's justice committee, said the commission would receive an additional R75m from the government to complete its work.

The R75m boost comes after finance minister Tito Mboweni told parliament during his budget speech in February he would not give the commission further funding.

The commission has already spent more than R800m since its inception.

“This perpetual extension of the inquiry into state capture is not really conducive. They must finish their work,” said Mboweni at the time.

“In fact, their work in my view is much less than the work that was done by the commission of inquiry into the Public Investment Corporation (PIC). The PIC commission of inquiry has concluded and this one just keeps going on and on, so it must end at some stage.

“Unless their DG has anything to say, I don't think I'm going to sign up on another tranche of cash to the state capture commission. They must finish their work.”

Lamola said it was in deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo's hands to see that the commission completes its work by June.

“We would want to see the commission finish its work because it also affects our programmes, because some of the money that we might have to find to help the commission, we have to cut from some of our programmes.

“We are beginning to feel the squeeze of resources, so it's important that it must finish its work,” said Lamola.