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Mpofu indicated that he is unhappy with the way he was treated. (Gallo images)
- In the four-hour afternoon session, defender Michelle le Roux asked Public Business Minister Pravin Gordhan how she felt about being accused of racism.
- Gordhan attempted to respond, which was objected to by lawyer Dali Mpofu, on behalf of former SARS commissioner Tom Moyane.
- After a tense exchange in which Mpofu said that Le Roux and Gordhan should “shut up”, Mpofu was interrupted by the chairman of the investigative tribunal, Raymond Zondo, but indicated that he was not happy with the way they had treated him.
The cross-examination of Public Enterprise Minister Pravin Gordhan at the Zondo Commission on State Capture concluded with a heated note with Attorney Dali Mpofu, representing former SA Revenue Service commissioner Tom Moyane, shouting “Shut up, shut up! “
The commission, chaired by Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo, held an evening session on Tuesday to conclude Mpofu’s cross-examination of Gordhan, which had begun in a first session in late December 2020.
Adv. Michelle le Roux was featured by Gordhan, who was also linked to the process digitally.
During the four-hour afternoon session, it appeared that the parties struggled to be courteous to each other. This is in contrast to the December session, which saw a series of tense exchanges between Gordhan and Mpofu.
However, at the end of Tuesday’s afternoon session, concluding Moyane’s accusation of racism against Gordhan, Le Roux asked Gordhan how he felt about Moyane and his legal team calling him a racist.
Zondo chimed in to say that he was satisfied that Gordhan had already explained earlier in the session that he was not racist. Gordhan had noted his long history as an anti-apartheid activist and member of the ANC, among other things.
Gordhan then asked if he could make a brief comment, to which Mpofu objected. As Mpofu tried to explain why he was opposed, Le Roux started to say that he wanted to explain why he wanted Gordhan to broach the subject again.
Mpofu then pointed out to Zondo that he still “had the floor” and that Le Roux should “shut up” and Gordhan as well.
To this, someone reacted by saying “Hey!”
Zondo then stepped in and reminded Mpofu more than once that he (Zondo) was in charge of the commission. Zondo then gave Le Roux a chance to explain himself. Mpofu vehemently objected to this, asking why she was not being given a chance to explain her objection first, which was interrupted by Le Roux.
After Le Roux explained why he wanted Gordhan to respond again on the subject of racism, Zondo again said that it was not necessary to do so again. He then gave Mpofu a chance to speak. That concluded Gordhan’s questioning.
After the tense exchange, Mpofu indicated that he was unhappy with the way he was treated.
The commission postponed the session until Wednesday, when more evidence of SARS will be heard.
