#StateCaptureInquiry: Zondo wants affidavit from Zuma

Former president Jacob Zuma. Picture: Siphiwe Sibeko/ Reuters

Former president Jacob Zuma. Picture: Siphiwe Sibeko/ Reuters

Published Sep 13, 2018

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Johannesburg - Former president Jacob Zuma has been asked to give his version of events by submitting a written affidavit regarding two instances where he has been implicated by witnesses at the state capture inquiry. 

Deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, the chairperson of the inquiry, said Zuma should submit an affidavit despite the fact that the former president had elected not apply to cross-examine witnesses as he believed was not implicated by the evidence that has already been heard. 

Zuma was implicated in testimonies by former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor and former GCIS CEO Themba Maseko. 

Mentor told the inquiry that while she was in a meeting with Ajay Gupta, who offered her a ministerial post, Zuma appeared from a room and tried to calm her down as she told him what Gupta had told her. 

Maseko testified that the former president had asked him to help the Gupta family. The family wanted access to the GCIS media advertising buying budget. Maseko said he was later fired, at Zuma's request, for refusing to help the family. 

Zondo said these accusations warranted that Zuma must submit an affidavit explaining his version. 

"I have written to the former president lawyers and asked that he put his version in an affidavit to assist the commission and deal with those two aspects. And his attorney has indicated that he will convey the invitation to him," said Zondo. 

On Wednesday, Zuma denied the existence of state capture while addressing students at Walter Sisulu University in the Eastern Cape. 

Zuma posed a question asking whether any of the three arms of the state were captured.

“There is no state that is captured, the judiciary is not captured, Parliament is not captured? So where is the state capture?” he asked. 

“Where is the state capture? Why do we just swallow what is given?”

“There is no state capture in SA, there are people who did things to others, but there is no such thing called state capture. Let us not swallow everything that is given to us,” said Zuma.

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