Zuma insists on not appearing at Zondo Commission

JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 16 — South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma has reiterated that he would not appear at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (Zondo Commission) to testify as required by law, saying he was awaiting the Constitutional Court to sentence him for his refusal to follow the law.
In a 12-page statement issued on Monday night, Zuma said he would not be intimidated.
“Now that it seems that my role in the Commission has come to an end, I wait to face the sentence to be issued by the Constitutional Court,” he said.
Zuma’s statement came after the Zondo Commission on Monday said it would approach the Constitutional Court in order to have an imprisonment term imposed on him for being in contempt of court.
The former president said the commission which formed to probe allegations of corruption during his administration was established to deal with him.
“I stand by my reservations and that the commission was conceptualized as part of the campaign and sponsored multi-sectoral collaboration to remove me from office,” he said.
While others have accused Zuma of being a constitutional delinquent, he defended himself saying he was not against the court but some judges.
Zuma was supposed to appear at the commission from Monday to Friday this week. He refused, accusing the chair of the commission, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, of being biased against him.
“It is that type of judicial conduct that I protest against, not our law or our Constitution. It is not the authority of the Constitutional Court that I reject, but its abuse by a few judges,” he said.

– Xinhua