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BLA lashes out at Zondo critics

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The Black Lawyers Association (BLA) has lashed out at those who have criticised Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo’s work at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.

The BLA has called on people to support the work of the Commission as it investigates allegations of corruption in the public and private sectors.

BLA President Mashudu Kutama says they believe Chairperson Zondo and his team are doing a good job under difficult circumstances.

“We believe that the Commission is doing a great job under difficult circumstances and we believe the Commission is sticking to the law. We issued the statement to support its Chairperson and we think that some criticism is malicious and intends to undermine the work. So as BLA we felt it within our right to issue the statement in support of the Commission and its work.”

Meanwhile, former chairperson of the General Council of the Bar of South Africa, Vuyani Ngalwana SC, wants President Cyril Ramaphosa to testify before the State Capture Commission. He has written to the commission chairperson, Justice Raymond Zondo, regarding this.

Ngalwana says the President and other former members of Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet should be called to account for their roles in the alleged corruption and capture of State-Owned Entities (SOEs) that is said to have taken place during what has been termed “the nine wasted years” under the Zuma administration.

“I appreciate that the Commission may have limited time to complete its work by 31 March 2021 and that it may not be feasible to obtain evidence of all these persons and assess it in time before the final report of the Commission is due for submission to the President, who ironically, is one of the persons who should be questioned. But that, with respect, is of the Commission’s own doing by the choices it has made as regards which witnesses to invite, leaving out persons who are, in my submission, clearly relevant witnesses capable of shedding light on alleged “state capture” during their time in President Zuma’s cabinet and senior official positions in organs of state,” the acting judge in the High Court in Pretoria says.

Below is Ngalwana’s submission to the State Capture Commission Chair:

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