Boko recently announced that he had exercised his presidential powers to assemble a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the 2016 closure of the BCL Ltd Group of Companies. In announcing the BCL Commission, Boko said the probe will, amongst other things, establish the roles of former presidents if they had influenced anyone in the public sector in relation to the winding up of the BCL Group of Companies, liquidation processes related to the BCL companies and or the affairs of the BCL. The President also said the Commission will look into the winding up of BCL Group of Companies and its subsidiaries including but not limited to BCL Investments, Tati Nickel Mining Company, the winding up process, the affairs of the insolvent as well as allegations of capture, corruption and fraud in the public sector including organs of State and State Owned Companies. Boko further announced Malcolm Wallis, former Judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, as the Commissioner alongside his team and the secretariat who will start the work in June.
Briefing the media recently on various issues, the BMWU acknowledged the President’s encouragement of their members in supporting the Commission through the provision of evidence that could assist it in unraveling the intricate and complex processes surrounding the BCL liquidation, but believe it is not enough. “We believe that this Commission of inquiry could have been made dynamic and robust through the inclusion and appointment of a representative from the BMWU. This would have added a revolutionary and progressive element to the manner in which the Commission of Inquiry would execute its mandate,” BCL president, Joseph Tsimako said. Tsimako said the union can no longer be a bystander in this protracted matter. He said supporting the work of the Commission only as evidence providers is not enough. “The union wishes to be part of the process. The union brings lived experiences of former workers of BCL including operational nuances that no legal expert will understand about the operations of the BCL Mines,” he said.
