TRC inquiry welcomes major extension amid delays.

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the delays in prosecuting Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) related cases has welcomed a revised proclamation by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

This proclamation, notice 302 of 2025, outlines a new deadline for the inquiry to complete its work by Friday, 29 May 2026, with a subsequent requirement to submit its findings to the President within 60 days thereafter.

With this extension, the commission has an additional year to delve into the complexities surrounding unresolved TRC cases—an issue that has lingered far too long.

Originally tasked with delivering a report in just six months, the commission, chaired by retired Justice Sisi Khampepe, found itself unable to commence proceedings as expected. As it stands, no witnesses have yet taken the stand, prompting the necessity for governmental intervention. 

The spokesperson for the TRC cases, Lionel Aderndorf, articulated that the delay has been triggered by various logistical challenges, including procurement hurdles that staggered the operations of the Inquiry’s Secretariat, which was first established on 1 August 2025.

Aderndorf explained the current status of the inquiry: “Despite the initial promulgation on 29 May 2025, the appointment of the Inquiry’s Secretariat was not made until 1 August 2025. After that, we experienced various procurement delays, with the lease agreement for the inquiry premises being signed only in late September 2025.

"Following the Request for Information and Rule 3.3 notices issued to multiple government agencies in September 2025, many departments requested extensions to provide their inputs, pushing the final deadline for submissions to 26 November 2025.”

With the newly allocated time frame, the commission plans to intensively collect outstanding responses over the next two weeks. This process will see the commission digging into evidence gathered over the past months in preparation for oral hearings slated to begin on 27 January 2026. These hearings will continue through to 21 May 2026, marking a new chapter in the inquiry that is anticipated to be rigorous and revealing.

However, the road ahead remains fraught with challenges. Aderndorf noted that the commission must also address an application from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development along with the National Prosecuting Authority for the recusal of Chief Evidence Leader, Advocate Ishmael Semenya SC.

This legal tangle has added further complications to an already delayed process, indicating that hearings will not commence until these matters have been resolved.

The inquiry, launched by President Ramaphosa to investigate the protracted delays in the prosecution of TRC-related cases, is of paramount importance for promoting accountability and ensuring that the painful legacies of South Africa's past are addressed.

As the commission prepares to move forward into a phase of public hearings, it is hoped that these proceedings will restore faith in the country’s judicial processes in delivering justice to those affected by the injustices of apartheid.