Very few commissions of inquiry have been as effective in winning public support and delivering real-life consequences as the Madlanga commission, looking primarily at the rot that has seeped into South Africa’s law enforcement agencies.Establishing such commissions had become a swear word in South Africa — with taxpayer money going into inquiries that did not yield the desired results. It would appear the commission needs more time to deal a decisive blow to the criminal syndicates that have made police headquarters the nerve centre of their operations.The move by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday to grant the commission more time to complete its work is commendable.In terms of the new timelines, the commission, chaired by former Constitutional Court judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga, will have to complete hearing evidence in October and submit its final report in mid-November.This is to be welcomed. The decision to grant the extension couldn’t have been easy for Ramaphosa. The commission’s work has shone unflattering light on the goings-on in Gauteng municipalities governed by the ANC, the president’s party.The commission is carrying on as the ANC is preparing for local government elections due on November 4. Disclosures made at the commission are likely to become campaign material for opposition parties during the season.Even with this unfavourable political calculus, the president has to be applauded for making the right decision to extend the duration of the commission.Few could have foreseen the scale of the challenge faced by the Madlanga inquiry.When it was appointed, the commission was greeted with cynicism thanks to the poor track record of similar bodies in the past. South Africans’ minds were still fresh about the damp squib that turned out to be the costliest judicial commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture.After years of hearing evidence — and a bill of almost R1bn — the Zondo commission of inquiry failed to yield positive outcomes. Only one person, Jacob Zuma, served a prison term. Even so, the former president was jailed for ignoring a subpoena to appear before Zondo, not for being implicated in state capture.Several people implicated in state capture have been charged, but none have yet been jailed. True, several billions of ill-gotten gains in lucrative state tenders have been recouped. But these recoveries happened despite, not necessarily because of, the commission.Madlanga’s work, on the other hand, has dazzled the public’s imagination. Its impact has been widespread, and immediate. Its work has been educational. Senzo Mchunu, the police minister, is on suspension; as is Gen Fannie Masemola, the national police commissioner, and the top brass of the police.Several other senior police officials and their nonstate collaborators have been charged with corruption and colluding with criminal underworld figures.More senior figures implicated in evidence before the commission have yet to be charged. Some are trying to delay the commission’s work.These Stalingrad tactics haven’t derailed Madlanga from his truth-seeking mission. Even at this early stage, Madlanga, who left the Constitutional Court last year, has to be commended for restoring the public’s confidence in instruments such as judicial commissions of inquiry.To date, the commission has submitted two preliminary reports to Ramaphosa. He needs to release these reports. Redacted versions could help protect ongoing investigations and preserve the integrity of the commission. This transparency will further shore up the public’s trust in the process. Up until now, the commission has shown due care and sensitivity in safeguarding witnesses while balancing this against the public’s interest in transparency.Crucially, Ramaphosa, who might be called to corroborate certain witness testimonies, also needs to ensure that National Treasury comes to the party by adequately funding the commission’s work.