Why it’s a good idea for Zuma to give in to Zondo

Other than getting it over and done with, there are quite a few reasons why Jacob Zuma should bite the bullet and appear on Raymond Zondo’s orders.

The commission into state capture has been getting boring and putting Zuma on the stand will be the shot in the arm to get the nation’s attention again. It won’t be the first time he’s appeared before the commission and taking what we’ve learned from his July 2019 testimony, we can make a couple of assumptions on what November may hold.

The former president has had a surge in support, and strategically so. Most recently, the timing of his strong open letter to the current president and the support that he garnered is a show of serious political capital still weighing in Zuma’s camp.

It’s no secret that the ANC has some divisions within its ranks, and each may be crafting their own narrative to get decisive control over the soul of the party, but this affair with the commission is a perfect staging platform to stock up on goodwill and support.

One thing we’ve seen ol’ Msholozi do really well is keeping his cool with his back against the wall. From parliamentary addresses to his personal witness testimony, one would not be easily convinced of his guilt if one were to judge based on his demeanour.

The guy knows how to control a narrative and spin it in his favour. The build-up to another one of those spins is sitting up nicely for him again now.

Chair of the commission Justice Zondo has dug in his heels, claiming that the commission will not negotiate with witnesses and has set down the dates for Zuma to appear before the commission.

Not only is this a show of strength on the part of the Justice but it’s also a show of strength on the part of the commission itself.

The risk here though is that political capital is not infinite. As we learned from Zuma himself back in 2017, even if you enjoyed a lot of it at a stage, it’s not there to stay. The commission is facing such a consideration.

While the commission has enjoyed significant support, there have been some incidents where portions of the work have been called into question. Already Zuma is playing: “I’m too ill to accede to the commission’s demands.”

Pretty soon he may even play the “I’ve already appeared before the Commission” card… all designed to paint the picture that the commission is set up as a witchhunt to get him.

As he garners more support externally, he may even be in a position to discredit the entire commission in the eyes of many South Africans.

So what will happen when he’s done painting this picture? Think of it as the first coat. He’ll make it seem like the most absolutely unnecessary thing for him to appear. Of course, after that, for the second coat, he’ll appear on the high road.

This will put the pressure on the commission to justify his summons. If they keep him there, asking questions which lead to nothing, he’ll be armed with everything he needs to walk out and rip the commission to shreds, as an instrument of the forces trying to get him down. No doubt he’d be able to try do that even if they did get something out of him but at least then, they would have a justified reason to have brought him in in the first place.

Our former national leader will likely try to cultivate this scenario given the options he has and from what we’ve seen, just by being evasive, sly and cunning in his answers, he may well get it right.

In short, the commission might be seen to have put the ball in Zuma’s court by compelling him to come testify but really, the ball is still in their court. Zuma will undoubtedly make every effort to give in to the demands of the commission just to be able to say: “I gave you all you wanted and you still have nothing on me.”

Even if the objective of the testimony sought is to query the involvement of others, Zuma will certainly make some of it about himself in the venture for further political capital. It’s already been made about him bringing his legal exceptions into play.

The pressure is on. Here’s to finding out if there is something they’ll be able to squeeze out of ol’ Msholozi. If so, he’s no worse off than he would be should he testify in 2021. If not, well, points for Jacob!

Richard Anthony Chemaly entertainment attorney, radio broadcaster and lecturer of communication ethics.

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