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Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo Photo: Veli Nhlapo Former President Jacob Zuma Photo: THULI DLAMINI
Former President Jacob Zuma is running out of options. Next month, the State Capture Inquiry legal team will again discuss why the president should sign a subpoena against Zuma. The vice president of the court, Raymond Zondo, has decided new dates for the second appearance of Zuma, and they are not in discussion.
The deputy chairman of the state’s capture investigation, Raymond Zondo, expects former President Jacob Zuma to testify in commission from Monday, November 16 to Friday, November 20, 2020. “We do not negotiate dates with witnesses,” Zondo said severely on Monday, September 21, 2020..
Monday’s session began with Zondo updating the public on the correspondence between Zuma’s legal team and the secretariat of the Commission for Investigating Allegations of Capture, Corruption and Fraud by the State.
“Previously, I determined that today through Friday would be the week that the former president, Mr. Jacob Zuma, would appear before this commission,” Zondo said. “He was notified and after a while his lawyers wrote to the commission and said that he would not appear before this commission this week.”
Going through some changes
According to Zondo, the former president’s lawyers gave at least three reasons why Zuma would not testify this week. They were: Zuma was preparing for his criminal trial, the 78-year-old man received medical advice that should limit his movements due to his age and Covid-19, and Zuma was receiving legal advice following a vital change in the rules of the investigation .
“I do not want to comment at this time on his reasons for deciding that he would not appear before this commission this week,” Zondo said Monday morning.
In July, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Justice Minister Ronald Lamola jointly signed a change to a secrecy clause in the Rules and Regulations. Previously, a clause gagged investigators in the investigation. Since the change, investigators who completed their work for the commission can now migrate to other law enforcement agencies.
Lawyer Hermione Cronje, who heads the Investigations Directorate of the National Prosecutor’s Office (NPA), saying Daily maverick the amendment was a “shot in the arm” for the NPA. “It is human capital, but it is domain knowledge. It is your understanding. They have been debating these issues across teams. They have a much better understanding from above, ”Cronje said of the investigators in the investigation.
Since the State Capture Investigation began public hearings in August 2018, Zuma appeared for only five days of testimony, during which he repeatedly denied the allegations against him and reported that he did not recall critical events.
On Friday, July 19, 2019, which was Zuma’s last day of testing to date, he briefly withdrew cooperation entirely on the grounds that he was enduring cross-examination by the head of the legal team and lead of evidence, attorney Paul Pretorius SC .
“President, frankly, this is a joke,” Zuma’s representative, attorney Muzi Sikhakhane SC, told Zondo. Sikhakhane argued that Zuma should receive the same treatment as Public Enterprise Minister Pravin Gordhan and former Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene.
Other witnesses, such as Mzwanele Manyi, have similarly criticized Zondo and the investigation’s legal team for treating some witnesses as boyfriends. When attorney Kate Hofmeyr questioned Manyi about her conduct at the Department of Labor, Manyi complained that he was being “crucified” on the commission..
With or without you
With Zuma not returning this week, evidence of corruption in the Free State has been advanced.
Zondo announced that on Friday, October 9, 2020 at 9 a.m. he will hear the legal team’s request for an order from him authorizing the issuance of a subpoena against Zuma.
“He and his attorneys have been informed that unless he is convinced by that date that there are good reasons for not showing up, if they don’t, the application will proceed without them,” Zondo said.
“They have been informed that if they wish to make use of a virtual appearance before the commission and if they inform the commission in a timely manner, arrangements will be made for them to appear virtually before the commission.”
He added: “But that request will continue with or without them unless you are convinced that there are good reasons why they are not here.”
Zondo recorded a comment in one of the letters from Zuma’s attorneys, suggesting that the dates should be negotiated. “No dates will be negotiated with them or with him,” said a stone-faced Zondo. “This commission has made it clear to the attorneys who represented him before that this commission does not negotiate dates with witnesses.”
It’s a date
Zondo concluded by repeating the dates established for the second stage of Zuma’s evidence in the State’s Capture Investigation. “The dates of November 16-20, 2020 have been determined for its appearance. That’s all I wanted to say on that matter, ”Zondo said. Pretorius then presented the week’s evidence on corruption in the Free State. DM
