Zuma makes U-turn on state capture report

President Jacob Zuma yesterday (Wednesday) once again made an 11th-hour about-turn, this time abandoning his request to have the State of Capture report referred back to the Public Protector for further investigation if his review application succeeded. A BusinessLIVE report notes the President made stark concessions recently in the Supreme Court of Appeal, admitting through his lawyer, Advocate Kemp J Kemp, that the law used to drop charges against him by the NPA in 2009 was irrational. Yesterday, the President’s legal representative, Advocate Ishmael Semenya, made another last-minute concession to Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo that Zuma had abandoned a major part of his relief, requesting that the case be sent back to the Public Protector for further investigation instead of a judicial commission of inquiry, should his review application succeed. But he did not indicate how the matter should proceed if the application was granted. Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s remedial action said that Zuma should institute a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of state capture and that Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng should select the judge Zuma should appoint to chair the commission. Mlambo gave the eight respondents until tomorrow to file two-page supplementary arguments. He ordered that these must deal with the legal consequences of the withdrawal. Zuma would then have to file supplementary arguments, if necessary, by Tuesday 4pm. Mlambo reserved judgment.

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