The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) has welcomed the news that the Constitutional Court will hear the application of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture against former president Jacob Zuma on March 25.
In February, the commission filed an urgent application against Zuma for his refusal to appear before it despite a Constitutional Court ruling ordering him to do so.
Casac executive secretary, Lawson Naidoo, says, “The ConCourt has agreed to hear the matter on an urgent basis and has set down March 25 as the date in which the hearing will take place. The commission will be required to present its case to the court on that date and Zuma, if he chooses to oppose this matter will also be required to appear.”
“The court also in its directions issued various dates for the submission of replying papers by Zuma and his legal team. But it is not clear at this stage whether Zuma will participate in this hearing,” adds Naidoo.
Lukhona Mnguni on the ANC’s planned meeting with the former president:
Zondo Commission wants Zuma jailed
Last month, the commission filed an application to have Zuma jailed for two years.
The chairperson of the commission, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, said if Zuma was allowed to ignore his summons to appear, there would be lawlessness and chaos in the courts being used as a precedent for other witnesses.
Zuma had defied summons to appear before the commission.
Through a letter from his lawyers, the former president said he would only do so once Justice Zondo has recused himself.
Zondo has rejected this as not valid or sound reason for the former president to pull a no-show.
Below is the letter from Jacob Zuma’s lawyers:
