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Former President Jacob Zuma before the Zondo Commission in 2019 (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
- President Jacob Zuma has launched another attack on Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo.
- On this occasion, the Zuma Foundation has questioned the legality of a request for a summons against the former president.
- The request for a summons will be answered on Friday.
“The Zondo commission on the capture of the state is nothing more than a bastarization of legal processes to achieve political ends for those who pull the strings from behind,” says the Jacob Zuma Foundation.
In its strong statement, the foundation questioned the legality of a request by the chairman of the commission, Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo, to compel Acting Secretary Bridgitte Shabalala to issue a subpoena to compel Zuma to appear before her to answer questions. .
The foundation also criticized him for issuing a notice to Zuma four days before the scheduled subpoena request.
“This is done at this late stage and a few days before an already set date for this default application.”
MUST READ | Zuma will not attend the state capture commission until the ‘partial’ Zondo recuses
Zondo gave Zuma new “non-negotiable” dates to appear before the commission. Dates are November 16-20, 2020.
The foundation said:
“We said in our earlier statement that the original request referred to the time when President Zuma was abroad to seek medical treatment. Unfortunately, the president refused to believe that President Zuma was truly ill and sought to meet with his doctor, a company that has not met. meet. ”
“It is unprecedented for a judge to appoint himself to go meet with the doctors and show that indeed the former president was sick, that he was not telling lies. One question the legal team might have to address is whether the committee chairman can override his own decision and just move on. “
READ | Karyn Maughan: Jacob Zuma’s Hideout with the Zondo Commission
Last month, Zuma’s lawyers wrote to Zondo and asked him to recuse himself due to his “partial predisposition” towards the former head of state.
In a letter written by his legal team, Mabuza Attorneys, Zuma stated at the time that he believed he had been “targeted” by the commission.
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This was shortly after Zondo announced the new dates for Zuma to appear on the commission.
In 2016, former public protector Thuli Madonsela recommended that Zuma establish a commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of state capture. Zuma requested to take this into review.
The request was unsuccessful and a court ruled that Zuma (as the then president) should appoint the commission, and the Chief Justice appointed a president.
In June 2017, Zuma wished Zondo the best by confirming his appointment as Vice President of the Supreme Court, to succeed Dikgang Moseneke, who was retiring.
In 2018, he appointed the commission and approved the appointment of Zondo de Zondo as commission chairman.
READ | A timeline of Zuma’s relationship with the Zondo commission
Zuma appeared once at the commission, last July, where he made claims about some members of the ANC as spies and plotting a character assassination against him. He said he would reveal who they were on a “rainy day.”
Since then, she has been unable to appear due to “poor health” and needs time to prepare for her appearance.
“We are deeply disappointed with this reverse approach from such an important legal forum. It confirms our fear that this commission seeks to harm President Zuma in all respects,” the foundation continued.
“This new request is nothing more than a ruse, the outcome of which has been clearly predetermined. We hope that the public can see this commission and its leaders of evidence for what they are. A political process that is exhibited as a legal process,” he said the foundation, adding that the subpoena request against Zuma was regrettable.
“The continued bias carried out by the commission of inquiry into the state capture and its president against President Zuma affirms our apprehension of bias as previously alleged,” the foundation said.
Meanwhile, Zuma supporters have approached the commission to call for the president’s removal.
