State Capture Commission’s legal team to compel Zuma to appear before it

The Commission of Inquiry into State Capture will resume on Tuesday with an application by the commission’s legal team for an order authorising a summons for Former President Jacob Zuma.

The commission’s legal team wants to compel Zuma to appear before the commission from January 27 to 31.

Zuma has been implicated in a number of witness testimonies including that of former Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas and former Intelligence Chief Mo Shaik.

Commission Chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo is scheduled to hear how Zuma has failed on several occasions to appear before the commission – claiming ill health.

For three days in July 2019, former President Jacob Zuma testified to the State Capture Commission about a long-standing conspiracy to politically destroy and ultimately kill him.

At the time Zuma also objected to the nature of proceedings – namely being cross-examined, contrary to what his legal team said was in keeping with the Commission’s rules.

While a deal was reached to facilitate Zuma’s continued participation which would see the commission’s legal team indicate its areas of interest in witness testimony or affidavits and allow Zuma through his lawyers indicate what he has to say on the incidents, the Commission has twice been unable to pin the former President down on a date.

The former President has cited ill-health as grounds for his failure to appear and the application for a subpoena is an attempt to force him to take to the stand.