Political parties and other bodies welcomed President Jacob Zuma's decision to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry into South Africa's arms deal on Thursday.
They called for a thorough investigation which would examine all aspects of the arms deal.
ID leader Patricia de Lille appealed to Zuma to appoint a retired Constitutional Court judge to conduct the investigations. “I appeal that the commission must call on and make provision for all persons with information to give evidence in public,” she said in a statement.
De Lille said all the allegations contained in the “De Lille Dossier”, some of which had led to the arrest and conviction of Schabir Shaik and Tony Yengeni, should be included in the terms of reference of the commission.
Earlier on Thursday, Zuma said a commission would be appointed to “investigate allegations of wrongdoing in the arms deal”.
“The president will soon announce the terms of reference and the composition of the commission, including the time frames,” Zuma's spokesman Mac Maharaj said in a statement.
Zuma had requested Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radebe to take the necessary steps to put this decision into effect, he said.
Cosatu and the SA Communist Party welcomed Zuma's announcement. “An investigation into the arms deal is crucial in demonstrating government's campaign against corruption,” Cosatu spokeswoman Phindile Kunene said in a statement.
The SACP hoped the commission would be allowed to get to the bottom of the allegations and lay the matter to rest once and for all, spokesman Malesela Maleka said in a statement. “This indeed is a bold step that the president has undertaken and we believe as the SACP that it signals the seriousness of this administration in fighting corruption,” said Maleka.
The African Christian Democratic Party said the commission would face a “formidable task” given the time that had lapsed and the enormity of evidence involved. “The time-lapse will have enabled those who are alleged to have received bribes to dispose of their ill-gotten gains,” ACDP MP Steve Swart said in a statement. He said the appointment of the commission would send a strong signal that bribery and corruption would not be tolerated.
The Helen Suzman Foundation said it trusted that Zuma would be “mindful” of his constitutional obligations when determining the commission's terms of reference. “The Helen Suzman Foundation stands by its view that the terms of reference of the inquiry and the composition of the commission will be paramount in determining the legitimacy of this inquiry,” it said in a statement.
DA leader Helen Zille said this would determine the commission's efficacy and legitimacy. “The president must give the commission a full scope to investigate any and all aspects of the arms deal and have the powers to subpoena witnesses and documentation,” she said.
Pieter Groenewald, of the Freedom Front Plus, said the arms deal had not only harmed the image of the SA National Defence Force, but of the whole of South Africa. “Through a commission, closure could be obtained about the whole matter and the books can be closed on it.”
The IFP's Koos van der Merwe expressed reservations about the motives behind the decision. “The question must be asked: why only now? The arms procurement programme was initiated in the late '90s, and has since the beginning been under a cloud of suspicion of corruption and bribery.”
United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said the commission would clear any doubts the public might have about the role played by the previous administration in the arms deal. “However, we cannot help but wonder why it has taken so long for the government to do it. Could it be related to the amount of evidence destroyed?” he asked.
The Christian Democratic Party (CDP) said the timing of the commission was suspicious. “We do not want to celebrate and then later find that this is yet again a cover-up action to derail the process en route to the hearing in the constitutional court in November,” CDP leader Theunis Botha said. “The country can well do without this albatross around its neck, and we look forward to the appointment, and the actual functioning of the commission,” he said – Sapa