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The Inkatha Freedom Party welcomes the fact that by order of court, the report on ‘State Capture’ was finally made public yesterday.

IFP Chief Whip in Parliament, the Hon. Narend Singh, MP, said, ”The IFP must voice it strong reservations regarding the actions of the President, and Minister’s Zwane and Van Rooyen in trying to block or delay the tabling of the report,”

“We welcome the report but feel that due to financial and other constraints that the previous Public Protector, did not go far enough in remedial action, save to the extent that the recommendation that a Judicial Commission of Enquiry be appointed, because it is through a commission of enquiry that all the facts can surface through proper investigation and that the audi alteram partem rule can be applied,”

“Having said that, we feel that the recommendation which behoves the President to appoint a judge recommended by the Chief Justice is something which we must debate as the Constitution allows the President to appoint the Judicial Commission of Enquiry, but then also we feel that there is sufficient prima facie evidence by reputable people of high standing in the community on certain allegations of fraud and ‘capture’ and other issues of interference in what happens in State Owned Enterprises that should now allow criminal prosecution against those individuals, even if this means instituting prosecution against the President of the country, then that should commence without us having to wait for a Judicial Commission of enquiry, as that could be long-drawn out like in the in the Arms Deal and Marikana Commissions of enquiry and by that time the horse would have bolted, if I may use that cliché,”

“In conclusion we would like to say that all the evidence that has been submitted to the Public Protector indicates that there is no smoke without fire and there is a lot of fire in this particular issue.”

Issued by Inkatha Freedom Party