R2K files official request for Moerane Commission transcripts and report: 30 days to respond!
R2K has filed a request, using the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), to KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu to release the report and transcripts of the Moerane Commission of Inquiry into KZN political killings. In terms of the Act, the Premier must release the documents within 30 days or give valid reasons why he cannot.
Background
The Moerane Commission of Inquiry was established on 31 October 2016 by the Premier to investigate the underlying causes of political killings in KwaZulu-Natal, and concluded its work earlier this year. During this time, even though the Commission held open meetings, none of its transcripts were ever made public, despite numerous requests to the Commission. The final report was handed to the Premier on 12 June 2018.
Shortly after that, R2K wrote to the Office of the Premier in June 2018 asking for the report and transcripts to be publish, to no avail. After receiving the report, Premier Mchunu transferred it to the KZN legislature, which considered the report behind closed doors. Thus far the Premier and legislature have refused all calls for the report to be released. As R2K we demand transparency in all issues pertaining to the Moerane Commission of Inquiry: both the final report and the transcripts must be made available to the public!
Withholding the transcripts and the report of the Moerane Commission is an aberration to the Constitutional values of accountability, transparency and responsiveness.
PAIA requests
On Thursday 16 August, R2K sent a PAIA request to Premier Mchunu, for the Commission report and its transcripts. In terms of PAIA, the Premier now has 30 days to release the documents or give valid reasons why he cannot.
We remind the Premier that the hearings were funded by the public, the majority of them open to the public, and pertaining to issues of great importance to the public. The Right2Know Campaign therefore demands that the transcripts be made public!
For more information contact:
Mluleki Marongo, R2K Access to Information Organiser: 078 105 8802
Lazola Kati, R2K KZN Organiser: 072 956 7753
