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Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo will take another day to make a decision on former President Jacob Zuma’s request that the judge recuse himself as chairman of the state’s capture investigation.
Zondo said he would take Tuesday to work on his trial after hearing arguments from Zuma’s legal team and the commission team on the request.
The proceedings were postponed until 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Zuma’s defender, Muzi Sikhakhane, said his client would file a statement in response to the one read by Zondo on Tuesday in which he denied having a close personal relationship with the former president or that they were friends.
Sikhakhane also asked that Zuma be excused Wednesday because he needs to attend a funeral.
It is unclear if Zuma will continue to answer questions in commission if Zondo dismisses his request for disqualification from the judge.
On Monday, Sikhakhane indicated that if Zondo rejected the request to recuse himself, Zuma would go to court to review the decision or if he was still forced to appear before the judge, he could exercise his right to “remain silent.”
The first day of Zuma’s long-awaited second appearance on the commission Monday was dominated by his attempt to seek Zondo’s removal.
Sikhakhane argued that the commission was perpetuating the narrative that Zuma was responsible for the state capture, and that some of Zondo’s comments during the hearings had given the impression that he accepted the narrative that the state capture took place and that the former chief state was the main player responsible for it.
The head of the commission’s legal team, defense attorney Paul Pretorius, said there was no basis for the claim that Zondo was biased, warning that if the judge recused himself, the investigation would collapse.
The commission, which has already cost more than R700m, only has another four months to finish its work.
It was launched in 2018 after a report by former public protector Thuli Madonsela on allegations that the Gupta family, friends of Zuma, and their son’s business associates, were allowed to run parts of the state, including the election of ministers, to promote their own interests.
Several witnesses, including former ministers who served in Zuma’s cabinet, provided evidence implicating the former president.
The former president himself has also appeared before the commission, in July 2019, taking the opportunity to accuse some of his accusers of being apartheid spies.
Zuma has also said that he believes the state capture commission is part of a political project to destroy him.
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