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Today the Presidency released the Donen Commission of Inquiry’s report into the involvement of South African individuals and companies in the Iraq "oil-for-food" saga.

The three high ranking members of government who were reportedly implicated in the scandal- Deputy President, Kgalema Motlanthe, Minister of Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale, and former Director General of Minerals and Energy, Sandile Nogxina- appear to all be exonerated by the report.

The question is: why did it take the Presidency five years- and a legal tug-of-war with Independent Newspapers- to release a report in which no former or current member of government is implicated?

If the government had nothing to hide, why did it take so long?

Perhaps the answer lies in the discrepancy between the report released today and what was leaked to the press in August 2009. At the time, the Sunday Times reported that Deputy President Motlanthe was “privy to material information” related to illegal surcharges paid to Iraqi authorities. The paper also raised questions about a submission by Minister Sexwale that he had no knowledge that a company of which he was co-director paid illegal surcharges.

I will therefore be submitting a request to the Public Protector, Adv. Thuli Madonsela, to ask that her office conducts a full investigation into the involvement of South African companies or individuals in the “oil for food” scandal. Included in that investigation must be an analysis of why the report seems to have been changed between when a portion of it was leaked by the Sunday Times, and its release today.

The South African people deserve the full truth. And it appears that, after five years, they have not yet received it.