The Right2Know Campaign has launched a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to access the Moerane Commission report into political violence in KwaZulu-Natal.

The civil advocacy group launched the application last week to force KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu to release it.

The commission‚ which sat for over a year‚ was established in October 2016 amid a high number of political killings in the province and was charged with investigating killings in the province since 2011.

At a cost of tens of millions of rands from the public purse‚ a report was compiled and handed to Mchunu in June‚ with speculation that the report would not be made public because of alleged damning allegations against politicians.

In July the report was tabled before the provincial community safety and liaison portfolio committee‚ where chairman Bheki Ntuli led a closed meeting into the contents of the report. It was sent back to the premier's office‚ which was expected to release the report at the end of August.

In a statement‚ R2K said the premier must release the document within 30 days or give valid reasons why he cannot.

“Even though the Commission held open meetings‚ none of its transcripts were ever made public‚ despite numerous requests.

“Premier Mchunu transferred the report to the KZN legislature‚ which considered the report behind closed doors. Thus far the premier and legislature have refused all calls for the report to be released.”

R2K said the report and transcripts should be made available to the public.

“Withholding the transcripts and the report of the Moerane Commission is an aberration to the Constitutional values of accountability‚ transparency and responsiveness.

“We remind the Premier that the hearings were funded by the public‚ the majority of them open to the public‚ and pertaining to issues of great importance to the public.”