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State Capture: Zondo recusal hearing tabled for Monday morning

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Former President Jacob Zuma before the Zondo Commission in 2019.
Former President Jacob Zuma before the Zondo Commission in 2019.
Felix Dlangamandla
  • The commission of inquiry into state capture is expected to hear an application for Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo's recusal on Monday.
  • Former president Jacob Zuma has lodged the application, saying he has "a close personal relationship” with Zondo.
  • It is uncertain if Zuma will appear before the commission following the hearing, despite a summons being issued for him to appear this week. 

An application for Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo's recusal from the state capture commission, made by former president Jacob Zuma, will be heard on Monday.

The commission was expected to hear the application at 10:00.

Zuma contended in his application that he had a "close personal relationship" with Zondo since the early 1990s, when he had sought legal advice from his firm.

The former president had also claimed a conflict of interest on Zondo's past due to a family history between the two. Zondo recently revealed that he had a child with Zuma's sister-in-law about 25 years ago, long before Zuma married the child's aunt, Thobeka Madiba.

The reportedly 100-page long recusal application was lodged by Zuma's lawyers on Wednesday, only days before Zuma's ordered appearance before the commission. It was unclear if Zuma would testify at the commission following the recusal application.

The commission ordered that Zuma would appear this week and the commission has confirmed that a summons was issued at his homestead at Nkandla on 22 October.

Zuma would be permitted to appear via video, commission secretary Professor Itumeleng Mosala previously told News24, but he was obliged to comply with the summons.

Zuma last appeared before the Zondo commission in July last year. He had since cited reasons such as illness or a prior engagement for his failure to attend on five different occasions.

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