Zuma in the hot seat

Welcomes inquiry on state capture

PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma is back in Parliament this week as pressure continues to mount for him to step down.

He has insisted he would see through his term of office until 2019.

His appearance in Parliament on Wednesday to answer questions comes three weeks before the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) hears his application on the 783 corruption charges against him.

The SCA application on September 15 follows the decision of the High Court in Pretoria in March last year to reinstate the charges against him.

Zuma is also going to the Constitutional Court in October where the impeachment application by the EFF is expected to be heard.

The EFF went to the Constitutional Court last year for Zuma to face impeachment in Parliament over state capture allegations.

The last time Zuma was in Parliament to answer questions was in June, when he promised to institute an inquiry into state capture.

This was despite him contesting the findings of former public protector Thuli Madonsela.

In her report, State of Capture, Madonsela said Zuma must ask Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to appoint a sole judge to head a commission of inquiry into state capture.

But Zuma said this was a power vested in the president, and nobody else.

The president has denied any involvement in state capture and said he would welcome an inquiry into the matter.

Zuma narrowly survived a motion of no-confidence against him earlier this month, after more than 26 ANC MPs voted with the opposition.

The ANC has started with action against some of the MPs who supported the motion to remove Zuma from office.

The party wanted those MPs who made public statements on the matter hauled over the coals.

Derek Hanekom, the former tourism minister, has a few days left before he responds to ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe’s letter on why he should not be removed as the party’s national disciplinary committee (NDC) chairperson.

Mantashe had given Hanekom 10 working days to respond.

Another vocal ANC MP, Dr Makhosi Khoza, faces her own disciplinary action by the ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal structure next month, after she repeatedly spoke out against Zuma.

Khoza has also said the action against Hanekom was to ensure that when she appeals her KZN decision, he would not be there as chairperson of the NDC.

The ANC has denied a witch-hunt against its MPs who voted against Zuma in the motion of no-confidence debate on August 8.