Political analyst Dr Dale McKinley says Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo is not likely to recuse himself.
Zondo is expected to deliver his decision at 10 o’clock on Thursday morning on former President Jacob Zuma’s application for his recusal.
Zondo was due to deliver the decision on Wednesday afternoon but he postponed it. On Tuesday he said he was still going through the documents required to make a ruling.
Lawyers for Zuma as well as the Commission’s legal team made arguments for and against Zondo’s recusal.
On Monday, Justice Zondo read a statement at the Commission denying having a friendship with Zuma or Zuma having had a part in advancing his career.
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo rejected former President Jacob Zuma’s claims:
Zuma’s lawyers alleged that their client had been treated unfairly by the commission, ignoring and ridiculing his earlier evidence and in the manner it selected witnesses and some statements made by Zondo.
Commission lawyers, however, rejected the claims saying they did not pass the test of what constitutes bias and therefore Zondo should stay put.
Zondo is also expected to consider a statement that Zuma’s legal team will present to him that in response to Zondo’s characterisation of his relationship with their client.
Dr McKinley says Zuma is using the application for Zondo’s recusal to disrupt the work of the Commission.
“We’ve known from day one when Zuma was called to testify and this goes back to many, many years when he said he wanted his day in court to tell his story. But he’s using every trick in the book, the same thing with the Zondo Commission while fighting a larger battle to discredit the State Capture story. This is typical of him. I think he would like to disrupt the Zondo Commission.
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to make decision on Zuma recusal application:
But Sharita Samuel, an attorney from the Legal Resource Centre, says it’s very difficult to predict what the Deputy Chief Justice will decide:
INFOGRAPHIC: The relationship between Raymond Zondo and Jacob Zuma
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