An internal SABC commission of inquiry was appointed, headed by Zwelakhe Sisulu and Gilbert Marcus, to investigate the allegations, and in October 2006 issued a damning report against the SABC. The report entirely vindicated Perlman's statement, finding that there was an arbitrary blacklist of commentators who SABC staff were instructed not to consult. This blacklist included prominent analysts Karima Brown, Aubrey Matshiqi, William Gumede, Paula Slier, Sipho Seepe, Moeletsi Mbeki, Elinor Sisulu, and Trevor Ncube. The commissioners sharply criticised the head of SABC News, Snuki Zikalala, for his management style, and said that there was a climate of fear in the SABC newsroom. It found that the blacklisting contradicted the SABC's mandate and recommended that new guidelines on commentators be developed through wide consultation in and outside the SABC.