Govt commits to open Commissions of inquiry reports
The Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Moeti Mohwasa, says the reports of Presidential Commissions of Inquiry have been treated as artefacts for the archives, rather than as vital instruments of public accountability.
This practice of sequestration has created a deficit of public trust and a vacuum in the national memory. The minister outlined 10 Commissions undertaken between 1973 and 2021.
“There are many Presidential Commissions that were set up with various mandates since this country attained independence. It is not possible for me to retrieve and provide the entire list of those Commissions given the amount of work that is required to go through the records, both at the Office of the President and at other institutions such as the National Archives and Records Services,” Mohwasa said.
He indicated that the position of the new government is unequivocal: maximum transparency is the default, and secrecy is the exception that must be rigorously justified.
“To that end, our approach is not merely a political promise, but a structured administrative process informed by best practices in governance.”
He said they will formally establish the reasons for the non-disclosure of these past reports. According to Mohwasa, this is not an exercise in political point-scoring, but a necessary administrative autopsy.
“We will systematically examine the legal, security, and political rationales - if any used by previous administrations to justify secrecy”.
The minister told Parliament, “Simultaneously, we will be working with the Ministry of Justice and the National Archives to develop a standardised Declassification and Disclosure Protocol. This protocol will be based on the principles of proactive transparency.”
According to the minister, they believe that simply publishing these reports is not enough.
“True accountability requires engagement. Therefore, for reports that uncover historical injustices or systemic failures, the government will commit to a formal response to Parliament within a specified timeframe, outlining which recommendations we will implement, and providing a rationale for those we may not. This moves us from a culture of passive disclosure to one of active accountability,” Mohwasa said.
He posited that the previous administration operated on a principle of information asymmetry, where the state hoarded knowledge to consolidate power.
This government, he said operates on a principle of informational reciprocity - where an informed citizenry is the ultimate check on power and the foundation of a resilient democracy.
“We will not just open the archives; we will ensure that the truths within them lead to tangible lessons, reforms, and a renewed covenant of trust with the people we serve.'
Mohwasa was responding to a question from MP for Maun North Dumelang Saleshando, who asked the Minister to state the number of Commissions of Enquiry that have been undertaken since independence. How many of the reports were released to the public, and whether or not the Government will consider releasing the reports that were never made public.