Johannesburg – Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, together with the chairperson of the commission of inquiry into the Marshalltown building fire, have postponed their media briefing on the state of readiness of the commission.
The briefing was meant to take place on Friday at the Gautrain Management Agency offices in Midrand. However, the premier’s office has moved the briefing to a date yet to be announced.
Early this month, Lesufi finalised the terms of reference of the commission of inquiry into the deadly Marshalltown fire that claimed 77 lives after appointing retired Constitutional Court justice Sisi Khampepe as its chairperson, alongside attorney Thulani Makhubela and activist Vuyelwa Mabena.
It was expected that Khampepe would brief the media on the state of readiness of the commission as it begins its work to investigate the cause and source of the fire that engulfed the Usindiso building in flames towards the end of July.
“During the media briefing, Justice Khampepe will provide an update on the state of readiness of the commission and outline how the commission will conduct its work,” said the premier’s spokesperson, Sizwe Pamla, in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Over two weeks ago, Lesufi gave the newly appointed commission of inquiry into the fire tragedy six months to submit a report on all the possible causes of the fire.
“The reason is to have the necessary power to subpoena and protect and the legal framework to help us deal with this situation. We don’t want political representation. The aim is to help investigate all potential factors. A complete and comprehensive plan to mitigate the chances of something similar happening again,” he said during a media briefing on the terms of reference for the commission.
The premier’s office had not responded to The Star’s enquiries on the reasons for the postponement at the time of going to print.
The Star