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Legalbrief   |   your legal news hub Thursday 28 March 2024

President promises a 'broad' judicial inquiry

‘If Zuma is corrupt, it is going to be found by this commission.’ Those were the words of President Jacob Zuma on Monday night during an hour-long interview with Sifiso Mahlangu on Straight Talk on the Gupta-owned ANN7 television channel. He was speaking about the judicial commission of inquiry that would investigate state capture, but added the inquiry could also scrutinise white-collar crime and big business, says a TimesLIVE report. ‘It is going to go wherever people can say, ‘there is corruption here’.’ He said one of the challenges the inquiry would face was to define what state capture was. ‘I am sure I will be very keen to know.’ Zuma said he believed the term entailed that the executive, the legislative and judiciary arms of government had been captured. He hinted that the term had been used as a ‘fake political’ smear campaign against a ‘particular family (the Guptas) and a particular few individuals’. ‘You have (the) kind of stories that at times are repeated and repeated (and) they look like they are true. Why? I am sure one day we will know. I am going to establish a judicial commission of inquiry and it is going to investigate this.’

Zuma also touched on the work of former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, saying he wouldn't want to make the assumption that she had taken on a political role. He added that while he believed Madonsela – who had ordered him to set up a judicial commission of inquiry to be headed by a judge appointed by the Chief Justice – was doing her job, he did not agree with the manner in which she had done it. According to a News24 report, Zuma also said that the inquiry would have a broad scope and cover all possible corruption. He said those who are guilty of corruption would be outed.