The Constitutional Court will this week hear an application for a contempt of court order brought by the Zondo commission against former president Jacob Zuma.
The application is borne out of Zuma’s defiance of a Constitutional Court ruling ordering him to give evidence before the commission of inquiry into state capture, which is chaired by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo.
The court ordered Zuma to appear before the commission in January, but he refused to adhere to the order.
The matter is set down for Thursday in the court, which has been told by the commission that Zuma’s defiance was not only undermining the commission but also the Constitutional Court and the judiciary as a whole.
Zuma has been implicated by nearly 40 witnesses during the commission’s lifespan and was allegedly at the centre of state capture.
While this takes place, the commission is set to continue hearing evidence this week as it races against time to finish sitting in the months ahead. On Tuesday it will hear evidence related to the SA Revenue Service (SARS) from Athol Williams, the former partner at Bain SA, which formulated the new operating model for the tax authority under former commissioner Tom Moyane. The commission will also hear testimony from former SARS employee Vlok Symington.
Later on Tuesday, Moyane will cross-examine public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan regarding statements Gordhan made about him.
Coming up this weekend is a regular meeting of the ANC’s national executive committee.
While ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe would not say what is on the agenda for the meeting scheduled to take place from March 26 to 28, it is the first one since the ANC voted in support of having a parliamentary inquiry into public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s fitness to hold office.
The inquiry comes after an independent panel found there was prima facie evidence of misconduct by Mkhwebane. The vote to send the matter to a parliamentary committee for an inquiry did not deal with its merits but was the result of an ANC factional battle.
Some caucus members had openly opposed voting for a committee to be established, though the ANC members present in the National Assembly last week soldiered on in support of its establishment. This vote does not, however, mean the party will eventually vote to have Mkhwebane removed from office.
City Press reported on Sunday that the party leadership’s handling of the issue surrounding the establishment of the committee will likely be discussed at this weekend’s meeting.
While parliament is in recess, a number of portfolio committee meetings will take place this week.
Among them is a meeting of the portfolio committee on higher education, science & technology that will engage with the department of higher education & training, Wits University, Universities SA (a membership group representing universities) and the SA Union of Students on Tuesday on the state of affairs in the higher education sector.
Students have been protesting in recent weeks over the historic debt of university students.
On Thursday, parliament’s standing committee on public accounts will meet with the department of public enterprises about SAA and to discuss the progress being made by the business rescue practitioners since the last meeting was held with the committee.
The portfolio committee on public works & infrastructure will also meet on Thursday to hear oral submissions on the Expropriation Bill.
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