Former president Jacob Zuma has launched a legal challenge to Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo's refusal to recuse himself from presiding over issues in the state capture inquiry which relate to him and his family.
Zuma's lawyers filed the challenge in the Pretoria High Court on the same day that they told the Constitutional Court he would not be participating in the inquiry's case to force him to appear before Zondo in January and February next year.
He sought Zondo's recusal on the basis that the deputy chief justice could be perceived to have shown bias against him.
The state capture commission says former president Jacob Zuma has shown "no basis" for Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to step down as its chair because of alleged bias. | @karynmaughan https://t.co/S55aAZ5oUa
— News24 (@News24) November 15, 2020
Zuma also claimed that he and Zondo had a "close personal relationship" and contended that, because of this, Zondo should have never agreed to chair the state capture commission.
Zondo has disputed the existence of this close friendship.
He further found there was no basis on which he should recuse himself.
It is that decision that Zuma now wants the Pretoria High Court to review and set aside.
This is a developing story.