While tools for oversight are important, ultimately, political will to fully use such tools is paramount …

Abstract

Immediately after the release of the final report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State, more commonly called the Zondo Commission, the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG) published a review of parliamentary oversight. They pointed to institutional weaknesses that prompted Judge Zondo to ask “Where was Parliament” as state capture gripped the state.1 In a 2023 research paper2 commissioned by IFAA for its Defend our Constitutional Democracy workshop, the PMG provides a follow-up to that review. It sets out what Parliament has done since Chief Justice Zondo released his findings and recommendations – and present its views on how the institution can strengthen its oversight processes, specifically those related to the committee system.