Former President Jacob Zuma has refused to participate further in the State Capture inquiry until Commission chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo recuses himself.

The State Capture Enquiry, also known as the Zondo Commission, is a public enquiry set up in 2018 to investigate allegations of corruption during Zuma’s time in office. A report found evidence of alleged corruption at the highest levels of government during his presidency.

In a letter sent through his attorney, Eric Mabuza, Zuma explains that he believes Zondo has a “biased disposition” towards him and is thus “impartial”. He specifically feels targetted by the Commission of inquiry following a media briefing held on September 21.

“We note that this special focus and targeting of President Zuma has been the hallmark of this Commission’s approach since it commenced with its proceedings. As a result, President Zuma views the recent media briefing as a culmination of a series of events by which he was singled out and targeted by the commission,” reads the letter.

This letter follows after Zondo announced new, non-negotiable dates, for Zuma to appear on November 16-20 and give evidence.

He, nor his legal representatives, will appear at the State Capture Commission for an application for a subpoena to compel him to appear in November. The letter also claims Zuma is preparing a detailed affidavit to prove that Zondo is impartial and has predetermined Zuma’s guilt, which in turn affects the Commission.

The news of Zuma’s refusal to appear has left South Africans with many opinions. #Zuma is currently trending on Twitter, with over 12 000 tweets thus far. Most social media users appear to side with Zondo:

Some agree that Zondo has displayed biased behaviour:

Picture: Twitter

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