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Although the EFF has condemned former president Jacob Zuma’s decision to defy the Constitutional Court’s ruling that he should appear before the state capture commission of inquiry, the red berets have echoed similar reservations to Zuma over the proceedings being marred by a factional approach.
Following an announcement by Zuma and his legal team that he would not appear before Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the EFF called on the former president and “his legal counsel to reconsider the ill-advised decision to defy the Constitutional Court”.
In his statement on Monday, Zuma accused the justice system of violating his “personal rights” and working hard to ensure that he lands up behind bars.
The former president was adamant that he would defy the Constitutional Court order and would not cooperate with the commission.
“Such will set an unsustainable precedent and might lead to instability. Zuma must respond to the many allegations of corruption and wrongdoing levelled against him,” the EFF said.
Read | ‘I do not fear prison’: Zuma hits back at Zondo commission ruling
However, the party noted with dissatisfaction that the “activities, direction and approach” of the commission “have been less than satisfactory”, adding that the commission had become a “factional instrument”, which has chosen to protect some over others.
“The commission seems to be a factional instrument to fight for the protection of Pravin Gordhan and [President Cyril] Ramaphosa, protecting a cabal whose main interest and purpose is to safeguard the white capital establishment,” the party said.
“The Zondo commission seems to avoid the fact that billions of rands used to buy Ramaphosa’s presidency amount to the deepest form of state capture and control.”
This was in response to allegations around how Ramaphosa received large sums of money for his campaign to become ANC president and how the money was spent to win the top spot at the party’s elective conference at Nasrec in Johannesburg in December 2017.
The party also addressed the testimony of former Eskom CEO Brian Molefe at the commission last month.
In it, he accused Ramaphosa of conflict of interests on matters relating to the power utility when he was the deputy president.
Read: Concerns over whether ‘implicated’ Ramaphosa should receive the Zondo report
Molefe testified that Ramaphosa had been the chairperson of Eskom’s war room, which he described as the de facto board of the state-owned enterprise, while he was also a shareholder of Glencore, a mining company that was one of Eskom’s main suppliers of coal.
However, Molefe’s testimony was halted after an official who works closely with its chairperson tested positive for Covid-19.
The EFF said: “When [Molefe] was exposing the massive corrupt network around Eskom’s coal supplies and the role of [Ramaphosa], Judge Zondo claimed exposure and disputed the undisputable and hard-core evidence against Ramaphosa.
“In the immediate, the Zondo commission must proceed with and complete the submissions by [Molefe] and thereafter call Ramaphosa to come and account about his relationship with Eskom coal suppliers.”
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