Pretoria – President Cyril Ramaphosa has received an interim report of the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System.
Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said President Ramaphosa received the interim report on Wednesday, 17 December 2025.
President Ramaphosa established the Commission, chaired by retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, in July 2025.
“President Ramaphosa will study the interim report while the Commission, which is in recess, prepares to hear further testimony from new witnesses or persons who have previously testified,” said Magwenya.
“President Ramaphosa has expressed his appreciation for the interim report as well as his expectation that the Commission will, as part of its terms of reference, refer actions thought to be criminal acts for prosecution.”
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Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels said the Interim Report was delivered to President Ramaphosa exactly three months after Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi appeared as the first witness on 17 September 2025 to place under oath the allegations he made at a media conference in Durban on 6 July 2025.
Elaborating on some ot the progress made so far, Michaels said: “In total, the Commission has heard 37 witnesses over 45 days of hearings in formats varying from fully public to partially public, with one hearing being fully in-camera”.
He said the Commission has heard 28 witnesses in Phase One as part of the airing, substantiation, and corroboration of the allegations.
“As part of Phase Two, the Commission has thus far heard nine witnesses who have testified in reply to the allegations levelled against them and to tell their side of the story, with dozens more due to appear in 2026,” Michaels said.
Lamenting the safety of witnesses, the Commission spokesperson said the brutal killing of Mr. Marius van der Merwe outside his home on 5 December 2025, in full view of his wife and children, marked an inflection point for the Commission.
“Mr. van der Merwe’s murder is a reminder of the determination of certain criminal elements who do not want to see accountability and justice take its course,” said Michaels.
“The Commission will not be intimidated and urges the relevant law enforcement agencies to track down and bring to book all those who seek to undermine the work of the Commission and the rule of law.”
Michaels said more witnesses have come forward to assist it in getting to the bottom of the very serious allegations of criminality, political interference, and corruption in the criminal justice system.
He said that since its establishment, the Commission has received evidence from 28 walk-in submissions, and 45 of the 89 submissions to the Commission’s hotline were found to be within the terms of reference.
“As part of the Commission’s record to date, it has 8 087 pages of transcriptions of the hearings and 120 document bundles used during the hearings, including witness statements and evidence files,” Michaels said.
“On behalf of Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, his co-Commissioners Advocate Sesi Baloyi SC and Advocate Sandile Khumalo SC, and the entire Commission, we would like to thank all witnesses and all those who have come forward to assist the Commission in its work.
“Furthermore, we would like to thank all State entities and service providers for their support, both at the Brigitte Mabandla Justice College and off-site, over the last few months.”
