Civil society organisations call on Zuma to appear before state capture inquiry

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, together with 27 other civil society organisations, has urged former president Jacob Zuma to appear before the commission of inquiry into state capture on Monday. 

In a statement on Sunday the foundation, together with organisations such as Corruption Watch,  the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, Equal Education, the Joe Slovo Foundation, Right2Know, Section 27 and South African Council of Churches, called on Zuma to present himself before the commission, and to respect its mandate and integrity.

“We are perturbed by the evasive attitude in recent weeks of selected witnesses appearing before Judge Raymond Zondo. We urge the former president not to employ a similar strategy, or delaying tactics. We believe that an innocent person will have no qualms about being frank, transparent and accountable to the public through the commission.”

Last week Zuma filed an affidavit asking Zondo to recuse himself as state capture commission chair, from “presiding over those issues that pertain to me and my family”.

In a statement on Friday, secretary of the commission, Itumeleng Mosala, said the application would be made at 10am on Monday. This was also the time at which Zuma had been summonsed to appear before the commission.

The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation said it was shocking that some would think Zondo has an “obsession” with Zuma. 

“It is shocking that some tend to think that Judge Zondo has an ‘obsession’ with Zuma when in fact, a substantial amount of information that has emerged from witness testimony thus far implicates the former president and his associates.”

“The buck must stop somewhere. As a former president, who presided over an era of state capture, Zuma should account to the public about what he did or did not do to prevent the capture of the state by business and political elites.” 

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