Former president Jacob Zuma has accused former Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, of having violated the law when she recommended that he establishes the commission into alleged state capture but gave the power to choose the judge to preside over it to Chief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng.
Addressing his supporters in Nkandla, in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma reiterated that he never refused to appear before the commission but he only wanted his high court case, challenging Justice Raymond Zondo’s decision not to recuse himself from the commission while he is testifying, to be concluded first.
Zuma believes Zondo is biased towards him. He says the Deputy Chief Justice abused his power by refusing to take his concerns about him preceding over proceedings of his testimony.
“This even reminded me on how he even got to sit on that commission. I remembered the girl who gave herself the power to decide that the president establishes a commission and that the chief justice then appoints a judge to preside over it. The judge didn’t break the law, but that woman (a beautiful one) did,” he said.
The former president says Mogoeng Mogoeng initially picked judge Seraj Desai to be the chairperson of the commission and then made an about-turn.
“Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng came barging to my office and said he has another name to Chair the commission as Judge Desai was not okay, he then said Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo,” he says.
“Then I realised that it means he was chosen somewhere but I decided to keep quiet.”
Zuma says it was a first for a commission to have one judge. Normally, he says, at least two judges are appointed to precede over inquiries so that if someone is not happy with that chairperson – their colleague could take over.
The former president says he still doesn’t trust Justice Zondo.
He alleges that he told SC Muzi Sikhakhane, his former legal representative, that he took the job to preside over the state capture commission, even though he was the only judge there, because he didn’t want to have a dissenting voice when taking decisions on the matter.
Zuma alleges he has evidence of this.
He has also explained why he didn’t adhere to the Constitutional Court judgment, which ordered him to continue testifying at the state capture commission.
He says he was angered by the court’s order that he should answer all questions at the Zondo Commission. He says the decision took away his Constitutional right to reserve his comment at times.
“Then I decided that I am not even going to go to them,” he said.
Zuma says he is now waiting to go to the Constitutional Court to state his case.
#JacobZuma:We are going to the Constitutional Court to talk the truth and reverse their decision.we are waiting to go to court to say they made a mistake. #sabcnews
— #TheLordOfTheMedia (@samkelemaseko) July 4, 2021
Zuma’s address in the video below:
The former president says they will continue fighting for the freedom they fought hard for during apartheid, if there are people who are toying with it. He also touched on his corruption trial, saying he will perhaps share one day why he is being persecuted.
ANC NEC meeting with Zuma
ANC NEC member Lindiwe Sisulu earlier said they had concluded their meeting with Zuma.
Sisulu is among the ANC NEC deployees who were tasked to come to KwaZulu-Natal this weekend following the Constitutional Court sentence handed down to Zuma. He was sentenced to 15 months in jail for contempt of court.
Zuma had ignored a Concourt order that he resume testifying at the State Capture Commission.
The Apex Court will hear Zuma’s rescission application on the 12th of July.
Sisulu did not divulge the details of how their meeting with Zuma went.
“Our job is to make sure that everything here is in order because ultimately most people who are here are members of the ANC as you can see so we have a direct responsibility as people who were deployed here and we took the first slot which is from ten o’clock to about now, I’m returning home,” she said.
ANC NEC #LindiweSisulu just finished her meeting with former President #JacobZuma. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/WZCGRfgjD6
— #TheLordOfTheMedia (@samkelemaseko) July 4, 2021
Supporters’ anger
Legal expert, Paul Hoffman, says the anger of many Zuma’s supporters over his sentence has no foundation in law – but is more about the deep fissures in the ANC and the party could well split.
Many Zuma supporters say the Constitutional Court’s sentencing of Zuma to 15 months for contempt is unjust. But Hoffman says the Apex Court’s decision is well founded in law.
More on Hoffman’s views in the video below:
Police have set up road blocks on some routes as some of his supporters try to make their way by road to Nkandla. They are preparing to park their vehicles and walk about 10 kilometres to Nkandla.
