Ruling on Zuma’s recusal bid set for today
FORMER president Jacob Zuma will know today whether or not his application for the recusal of Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo as chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture is upheld.
Yesterday, Judge Zondo postponed his ruling as he was still studying documents to carefully consider the issues.
Judge Zondo said if he ruled against Zuma, he would be expected to take the stand and respond to various witnesses who had allegedly linked him to state capture and the Guptas while he was still head of state.
Zuma will not be at the commission today following a death in his family. Judge Zondo granted him permission to be absent, but warned Zuma that he would be expected to attend tomorrow if the ruling on the recusal application went against him.
Zuma made the formal application this week, arguing that the judge had, through the commission, lined up hostile witnesses to testify against him since the commission started its work two years ago.
Zuma listed several perceived hostile witnesses, including former Public Enterprises minister Barbara Hogan; Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula; and former Finance ministers Trevor Manuel and Nhlanhla Nene. Zuma argued that they had an axe to grind with him and had used the commission to peddle “lies” that he was responsible for state capture.
He also argued that Judge Zondo treated some of these witnesses, including Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, with kid gloves, saying that Gordhan was portrayed “as a conveyancer of the universal truth of state capture”.
Evidence leader advocate Paul Pretorius said Zuma had failed to lead evidence showing Judge Zondo was biased against him or that the judge had prejudged the matter.
After proceedings ended yesterday, Zuma, through his legal counsel advocate Muzi Sikhakhane, asked Judge Zondo for an opportunity to react to a statement the judgemade before he heard the application.
In the statement, Judge Zondo distanced himself from Zuma’s claims that they had a close relationship, including when he was appointed as a judge in 1997.