Zuma ‘in Cuban hospital over poisoning’
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 undisclosed country.
Zuma’s lawyers 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 acquitted when prosecuted for allegedly raping Kuzwayo.
The Sunday World newspaper 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 on the former president’s admission to hospital.
The National Prosecuting Authority declined earlier in 2019 to prosecute Zuma’s former wife Nompumelelo NtuliZuma for an alleged plot to poison him, largely as there was no medical evidence that he had in fact been poisoned.
Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo’s office told Business Day previously that he had not sought any medical proof from Zuma’s lawyers about his ill-health, but might “request a doctor’s certificate” should he wish to in future.
It further hinted that Zondo might consider subpoenaing Zuma should he fail to appear before the inquiry without proper justification.
Zondo last week gave Zuma until Monday to indicate whether he would oppose an application brought by Tlhabi to cross-examine him on his testimony in July.
Tlhabi has accused Zuma of making seven false and defamatory comments about her, including that she was part of a group of people who conspired 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 December 9 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.