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State capture: Judge Zondo summons Zuma

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Can’t remember? Don’t worry, Mr Zuma, we’ll refresh your memory with stories you probably wish we had forgotten.
Can’t remember? Don’t worry, Mr Zuma, we’ll refresh your memory with stories you probably wish we had forgotten.

After being directly implicated by a total of eight witnesses who have appeared before the state capture commission of inquiry thus far, dates have finally been set aside for former president Jacob Zuma to come and offer his version of events.

In a statement issued by the commission on Thursday, commission spokesperson Mbuyiselo Stemela confirmed that the Zondo commission has now set aside July 15 to 19 for the former president to make his counter submissions.

“In line with rule 2.1 and in response to media queries, the commission hereby confirms that in April 2019 it set aside July 15 to 19 as the dates for the appearance before it of former president Jacob Zuma,” said Stemela.

The commission explained that it was affording Zuma the opportunity to “give his side of the story is response to the statements or affidavits and evidence of certain identified witnesses”.

Witnesses who have directly implicated Zuma at the commission are: former Government Communication and Information Systems chief executive Themba Maseko, former ANC MP Vytie Mentor, former minister of finance Nhlanhla Nene, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan, former mineral resources minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and Ramatlhodi’s former adviser Mahlodi Muofhe.

When he appeared before the commission in September last year Maseko submitted that Zuma lobbied for the Guptas to get business from the state. In his testimony, he revealed how Zuma “personally called” him to ensure that he met the Gupta brothers at their Saxonwold compound in Johannesburg.

Mbalula testified that Zuma first consulted the Gupta family before appointing ministers and informed the commission that he was told by one of the Gupta bothers that he would be appointed sports minister before the president even informed him of this.

Of all the witnesses to have appeared before the commission thus far, Ramatlhodi was the most critical of the former president.

He accused Zuma of “auctioning his executive authority to the Gupta family and allowing the family to walk all over him”.

“There were several times when members in the ANC national executive committee challenged the president to terminate his friendship with the Gupta family. The president’s response would always be ‘this family helped my children when others would not do so, what do you want me to do’,” submitted Ramatlhodi.

Nene revealed that former president and other senior Cabinet ministers “became hostile towards him for refusing to sign the nuclear deal”.

Zuma has also been indirectly implicated before the commission by the likes of former Bosasa chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi, who testified to the effect that he had received “ridiculous requests” from former minister Nomvula Mokonyane to cater for birthday parties.

One such party was that of Zuma’s 72nd birthday celebration. He added that Zuma also visited the premises of the company and Gavin Watson set about “influencing” him.

Most recently, Rajesh Sundaram, former consulting editor of now defunct TV news channel ANN7, submitted before the Zondo commission that Zuma was involved in the day-to-day running of the channel and also instrumental in expediting the visa applications for Indian nationals who were recruited to start up the channel.

The former president, however, maintained his innocence. During his court proceedings last month, while facing charges of corruption, Zuma stood on a truck that was converted into a mobile stage, faced dozens of his loyal supporters congregated at KwaZulu-Natal’s Freedom Park situated directly opposite the Pietermaritzburg High Court and confidently proclaimed his innocence.

“I have done nothing to anyone. There isn’t a shred of evidence indicating that I have done anything warranting the treatment I am receiving,” he said, referring to the charges of corruption, fraud and racketeering that he was facing.

“There were those among us who kept urging that I, while I was president, should institute a commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture. They kept saying there was a worrisome family, the Gupta family. In their minds they thought that everyone who would appear before this commission would implicate Zuma, yet I have not once been implicated,” the former president said.

He is yet to indicate whether he will be appearing before the commission.

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