Two summonses have been served on former president Jacob Zuma compelling him to appear before the state capture inquiry in the first two months of 2021.
Commission secretary Itumeleng Mosala on Friday said deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, who chairs the inquiry, had set aside January 18-22 and February 15-19 for Zuma’s appearance.
He said two summonses were served on the former president, one last week and another earlier this week.
In November, Zondo dismissed Zuma’s application for the judge to recuse himself from hearing evidence given by the former president or any of his family members.
After the ruling, Zuma’s advocate, Muzi Sikhakhane, told the commission that his client would be taking the recusal decision on review and that he would be laying a complaint against Zondo at the judicial service commission.
Zuma and his legal team excused themselves from the commission soon after their application for Zondo’s recusal failed. This was despite claims by the head of the commission’s legal team, advocate Paul Pretorius that the summons issued before still compelled Zuma to appear before the inquiry regardless of Zondo’s ruling on the recusal.
However, Zuma and his legal team went ahead and left without the commission’s permission.
Zuma, who also faces a criminal trial linked to the notorious arms deal of the 1990s, has been accused of using Stalingrad tactics to avoid having to answer questions at the commission.
In a bid to ensure that the former president appears at the commission, which has to complete its work by the end of March 2021, the inquiry lodged an application in the Constitutional Court on Thursday for an order requiring him to account for his role in state capture.
Zondo wants the court to compel Zuma to comply with the new summonses issued against him by appearing on the dates that have been set aside in January and February, and that he must answer questions that will be put to him.
He also wants the court to order that Zuma’s walkout at the commission without permission and his failure to appear was unlawful.
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