More time for Marikana commission

President Jacob Zuma has granted the Marikana Commission of Inquiry a month’s extension following a request by its chairperson, retired judge Ian Farlam.

The commission will now wrap up on Friday, May 31, and will have six weeks to submit its final report to Zuma.

Before granting the request, the commission had until the end of April to finish its public hearings and a month to submit its final report to Zuma.

The commission also no longer has to submit interim and monthly reports to the president.

Zuma has granted the commission permission to hold hearings anywhere other than at the Rustenburg Civic Centre, with the approval of Justice Minister Jeff Radebe.

This has fuelled speculation the commission may hold some hearings or in loco inspections in the Eastern Cape or Lesotho, where many of mine workers who died on August 16 last year were from.

Zuma set up the commission when 46 people died during a wildcat strike at Lonmin’s Marikana operations.

Last year, Justice Department Director-General Nonkululeko Msomi said the commission’s start-up costs were R24 million, including salaries and operations.

Msomi said the second level of the investigation was estimated to cost between R44 million and R50 million.

Spokesperson Tshepo Mahlangu said the commission had no knowledge of plans to hold hearings elsewhere.