Zuma won’t meet requested deadline
Former president Jacob Zuma’s lawyers have told the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture that he will not meet Monday’s deadline to respond to an application to crossexamine him by journalist Redi Tlhabi as he is in hospital in another country the lawyers did not name.
Former president Jacob Zuma’s lawyers have told the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture that he will not meet Monday’s deadline to respond to an application to cross-examine him by journalist Redi Tlhabi as he is in hospital in an another country it did not name.
They said this in a letter sent to the commission last week.
Tlhabi wrote the book Khwezi: The remarkable story of Fezekile Ntsukela Kuzwayo.
Zuma was tried for and acquitted of raping Kuzwayo.
The Sunday World reported that the former head of state, who did not appear before the commission on his scheduled appearance dates of November 11-15, is in hospital in Cuba because of “complications relating to poisoning”.
Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko referred requests for comment on whether it had been briefed about Zuma’s reported ill-health to Zuma’s spokesperson. By Sunday afternoon, the spokesperson had not responded to requests for further information.
The National Prosecuting Authority declined earlier this year to prosecute Zuma’s former wife Nompumelelo Ntuli-Zuma for an alleged plot to poison him, largely as there was no medical evidence that he was poisoned.
Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo’s office said previously he had not sought medical proof from Zuma’s lawyers about his ill-health, but “may request a doctor’s certificate should he wish to”. It hinted Zondo might consider subpoenaing Zuma if he did not appear before the inquiry without proper justification.
Zondo last week gave Zuma until Monday to indicate if he would oppose an application by Tlhabi to cross-examine him on his testimony in July this year.
Tlhabi has accused Zuma of making seven false and defamatory comments about her, including that she was part of a group conspiring to attack the former president’s character.
“If the former president, Mr Jacob Zuma, wishes to say anything in opposition to Mrs Redi Tlhabi’s application for leave to give evidence and cross-examine him, he must deliver written submissions to the secretary on or before Monday, 9 December 2019,” Zondo said.
The commission has yet to indicate how it will respond to Zuma’s reported ill-health, which seems likely to be the basis for his lawyer’s arguments that he is unable to appear before Zondo in the near future.