POLL | Zondo's recusal ruling — what do you think he will say?

The deputy chief justice postponed the recusal ruling for the third time

18 November 2020 - 18:26 By cebelihle bhengu
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Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo has delayed his decision on a call by former president Jacob Zuma for him to recuse himself. File photo.
Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo has delayed his decision on a call by former president Jacob Zuma for him to recuse himself. File photo.
Image: Alon Skuy

South Africans have speculated on whether deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo will recuse himself as chairperson of the state capture commission of inquiry after a third postponement of his ruling.

Zondo was expected to deliver the ruling on Tuesday morning but postponed this, saying “I still have quite some documentation to go through carefully.” He committed to announcing the ruling on Wednesday morning but delayed this to the afternoon.

Minutes before he was due to make the ruling, the commission released a statement saying Zondo would make the ruling on Thursday morning. The commission attributed the delay to former president Jacob Zuma's response on Monday.

The commission on Monday heard Zuma's application, through his lawyer Muzi Sikhakhane, for “biased” Zondo to recuse himself from it. The former president has claimed that he and Zondo were once friends and that this resulted in a conflict of interest.

Zondo denied this, saying he and Zuma had a “cordial” relationship.

“Though Mr Zuma and I have a cordial relationship, Mr Zuma’s statement that we are friends is not recorded accurately. He has never been to any of my residences and I have never invited him.

“Mr Zuma and I do not socialise and have never socialised together. I have never invited Mr Zuma to any of my birthday parties. I have never attended a funeral of any members of the Zuma family,” he said.

On Monday, Sikhakhane said Zondo's comments about Zuma at the commission made the former president feel as though the inquiry was out to “lynch him”.

“I am not suggesting you've prejudged this matter in any way. I am saying to you in your comments in his absence, I want you to walk with me and look at whether a reasonable person, accused as he is, would be unreasonable to feel the forum seeks to punish him, lynch him, to agree with people who have come here to lynch him,” Sikhakhane said.

On social media, some predicted that Zondo would step down from the commission, while others questioned the relationship between him and Zuma.

Here are some of the reactions:

Deputy Chief Justice delivered judgement on an application for his recusal from the State Capture Commission, brought forward by former president Jacob Zuma on November 19 2020. But things took a turn after the former president left the commission during an adjournment.

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