Former President Jacob Zuma at the State Capture Commission in Parktown, 16 July 2019. Picture Neil McCartney
With all eyes on the Commission of Inquiry on State Capture on Monday, where deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo will hear arguments in former President Jacob Zuma’s application that he should recuse himself, at least one political analyst is asking if there are bigger skeletons in the closet than the public realises.
Zuma’s legal team took five weeks to file his application for Zondo, who heads the Commission, to step down after Zuma’s daughter, Dudu Zuma-Sambudla, said in September that he would not attend the Commission’s proceedings otherwise.
Zondo released a statement in October setting out the “historical, personal and family relations” he believed were the source of Zuma’s grievance.
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According to Zondo, Zuma was referring to his the Deputy Chief Justice’s former relationship from about 25 years ago with a woman whose sister is Zuma’s now-estranged wife, Thobeka Madiba-Zuma.
Zondo said the relationship with Madiba-Zuma’s sister was “in the mid-1990s” when he was still in his 30s “and was still in private practice as a lawyer” and to his knowledge, Zuma and his now-estranged wife had no relationship at the time.
Theo Venter, an independent political commentator currently associated with the North West University (NWU)’s Business School says the saga speaks to desperation on Zuma’s part.
“This shows the kind of measures Zuma will resort to too discredit Zondo if he is playing personal cards,” says Venter.
“Unfortunately, they all have skeletons in their closets,” he notes.
“But these are small skeletons – one has to wonder if there are bigger skeletons about to fall out the closet.”
The Jacob Zuma Foundation slammed Zondo’s statement at the time it was released, saying in: “Neither President Zuma nor his lawyers ever mentioned the issue of fathering a child by the Deputy Chief Justice.”
“We request the Deputy Chief Justice and his public relations advisers to be patient and wait for the recusal application,” they added.
The question now remains if Zuma will respect the summons issued by the Commission or defy it?
The summons requires Zuma to appear before the commission at 10am on Monday.
Commission secretary Professor Itumeleng Mosala said: “It was made clear that if Mr Zuma made arrangements to give evidence by way of a video link and subsequently appeared before the commission using the video link, he would be deemed to have complied with the summons.”
Mosala said attempts to obtain a clear statement whether Zuma will comply with the summons were unsuccessful.
“Mr Zuma’s attorneys informed the commission that Mr Zuma had not told them that he would defy the summons,” said Mosala.
“The commission, however, made its position clear that he is obliged to comply with the summons.”
Zuma appeared before the commission in July last year, but has not returned; he cited illness or a prior engagement.
Additional reporting by Amanda Watson.
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