- President Cyril Ramaphosa deflected questions about his predecessor Jacob Zuma's refusal to appear before the state capture inquiry.
- Ramaphosa expressed the hope that Zuma might be persuaded to appear.
- The President was paying his respects to the family of late struggle stalwart Rebecca Kotane in Soweto.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed hope that his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, might yet be persuaded to change his mind about appearing at the state capture inquiry.
“I saw it as something that is in process,” Ramaphosa told journalists in front of the Soweto house of the late struggle stalwart, Rebecca Kotane, where he went to pay his respects on Friday.
ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule on the same spot two days before defended Zuma and told reporters to, "... leave president Zuma alone".
Ramaphosa said Zuma should be given time to listen to what others had to say about the matter. “In giving consideration to this, I’m sure he will come to a conclusion,” Ramaphosa said.
He said Zuma, “... has expressed his own thoughts and view that he does not want to go to the commission, but this is a matter that I’m sure he’s going to give much more thought [to], because he is being counselled by a number of people and institutions, that the constitutional structure that he contributed so much to, needs to be given consideration.
"And I’m sure in his own mind, in his own time, he will think about this”.
He said Zuma should be given time to listen to what others had to say about the matter. “In giving consideration to this, I’m sure he will come to a conclusion,” Ramaphosa said.
Zuma this week indicated that he intended to defy a Constitutional Court order compelling him to answer questions at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
Not discussed
Ramaphosa added that the ANC had also not discussed the matter yet, and commenting on calls for Zuma’s membership to be suspended would, be “... pre-empting something that is not being considered”.
Ramaphosa said those who were calling for such – the ANC in the Eastern Cape is among those who made such a call – “... are speaking for themselves”.
He said:
Zuma had issues with Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo because he believed Zondo had a conflict of interest because he has a child with the sister of one of Zuma’s wives.
The Economic Freedom Fighters in their statement said they perceived the Zondo Commission as being part of the ANC’s factional battles through which Ramaphosa was trying to protect established capital.
Zuma and EFF leader Julius Malema met on Friday at Nkandla and it was expected that this issue would come up.
A group calling themselves “stalwarts and veterans of the ANC” in a statement asked that the national executive committee at its meeting next weekend act against the former president.
In a statement endorsed by the Concerned African Forum and the Strategic Dialogue Group, the veterans said Zuma’s announcement in response to the Constitutional Court ruling, “... is a blatant act of defiance [and] it is brazen, shameless and demonstrates contempt for our constitutional democracy”.