Madlanga Commission ‘confident’ ICT systems won’t be hacked
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into the alleged infiltration of the criminal justice system and political interference in SAPS says it is ready to begin hearings next week.
It had to announce a new start date of 17 September after procurement delays forced it to postpone its hearings, initially scheduled to start at the beginning of this month.
Commission spokesperson Jeremy Michaels told the media on Monday that all witnesses will undergo a rigorous process.
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" The preparations for calling a witness are intricate, and it's important for the public to understand. Suffice it to say that there's a lot of legal and investigative work which goes into such preparations.
"It's also important to clarify that this work was delayed by the procurement challenges, which arose with regard to the ICT systems and, in particular, issues with data security, having regard to the nature of investigations, which the commission must conduct and the technical sophistication of the parties, it must investigate."
Michaels said the commission has secured the ICT infrastructure needed to safeguard sensitive information.
" The ICT systems which have been procured include a cyber security solution, a secure internet connection and a live streaming service, as well as transcription and stenography services, amongst others. Whilst the delay in procuring these items was regrettable, we are now pleased to confirm that the necessary systems are up and running."
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Evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson said he is confident the ICT systems installed will not be hacked.
" The single most significant obstacle that we faced and that has caused our delays is that we need IT systems that were sufficiently secure for us to be confident, bearing in mind who we are investigating, so that they couldn't be hacked, and that the data relating to our investigations would be secure. That it has taken me quite a long time to reach the point, and when you think of delays, you do need to think of it in that context."
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