Deputy Chief Justice Zondo acknowledges having a child with Zuma’s sister in-law

The nation’s worst-kept secret is out. Raymond Zondo, who is the Chairperson of the State Capture Commission, has acknowledged having a child in the mid-90s with the sister of one of former President Jacob Zuma’s wives, Thobeka Madiba but says this has no bearing on his work at the commission.

Justice Zondo has acknowledged the matter in a commission statement.

The basis for the family bonds between Mr Zondo and Mr Zuma is the love child between Mr Zondo and the sister of Mr Zuma’s wife. pic.twitter.com/1Wt2jqPmZY

— Khaya Sithole (@CoruscaKhaya) October 29, 2020

The commission says Zondo had waited for Zuma to follow through on reports the former president would lodge an application for Zondo to recuse himself from the commission, but this has not happened.

Zondo says he has, therefore, decided to issue the statement.

Justice Zondo says in the statement that the marriage between Zuma and the sister of the woman with whom he had a child, occurred many years after the birth of the child.

Zondo says the relationship he had with the woman and the birth of the child has no bearing on the execution of his duties either as a Constitutional Court Judge or as Chairperson of the State Capture Commission.

In this video below, Justice Raymond Zondo issues former president Zuma with summons to appear at the inquiry:

EFF leader, Julius Malema, has complained that the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture is biased against former president Jacob Zuma. He was reacting to news that Zondo had allowed former SARS Commissioner Tom Moyane to cross-examine Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, subject to certain conditions. His questions must pertain, for example, to Gordhan’s allegation that the laying of criminal charges against him was motivated by Moyane’s malicious pursuit of state capture objectives.

Malema says this is unfair.

“You’ve never called a press conference to address us about Pravin … when Pravin said on the morning, ‘sorry, I’m going to work today.’ Cabinet is where Pravin works. Zondo didn’t have harsh words for Pravin, because Pravin is a darling, he controls the investigations and leading person there.”