Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Willie Seriti will chair a commission of inquiry into the government's arms deal, President Jacob Zuma announced on Monday.

Deputy Judge President of the High Court in Pretoria, Willem van der Merwe, and Judge Francis Legodi of the same court would be the other two members of the three-man commission.

They would "investigate allegations of wrongdoing in the strategic defence procurement packages, generally known as the 'arms deal'," Zuma told reporters in Pretoria.

"Mr Justice Seriti will chair the commission, which is expected to complete its work within two years."

On September 15, Zuma announced he would appoint a judicial commission of inquiry into South Africa's controversial multi-billion-rand arms deal. The September announcement pre-empted the matter being taken to the highest court of the country.

In 2009, legal proceedings were instituted in the Western Cape High Court asking the court to direct the president to appoint an independent judicial commission of inquiry into allegations of wrongdoing, or to require him to reconsider his refusal to do so. It later transpired that the Western Cape High Court was the wrong forum to hear the matter.

An application was then brought in the Constitutional Court. The matter was set down for hearing on November 17.

But arms deal activist Terry Crawford-Browne at the time told The New Age newspaper he would only withdraw his case if credible people were appointed to the commission of inquiry.

Zuma himself faced several corruption charges related to the arms deal ahead of the African National Congress' national conference in Polokwane in 2007, where he became leader of the ruling party.

Judge Hilary Squires convicted Zuma's former financial adviser Schabir Shaik of bribery and corruption involving Zuma in 2005. After a series of appeals, all of which failed, Shaik started a prison sentence in 2006. He was released on medical parole two years and four months later.

The National Prosecuting Authority dropped all charges against Zuma in April 2009 on technical grounds, shortly before he was elected president of the country in general elections.