Zuma takes on Raymond Zondo in another legal battle over state capture commission

The long-dragging legal duel between former president Jacob Zuma and Deputy Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo who chaired the state capture commission, is seemingly far from over.

It has emerged through court papers filed on December 10, 2021, for the North Gauteng (Pretoria) High Court, that weeks before Justice Zondo delivered the first batch of the state capture report to President Cyril Ramaphosa, Zuma was preparing to argue that Justice Zondo was unlawfully appointed to chair the commission.

The retired Zuma, who is one of the protagonists fingered in the first batch of the report, contends that, as such, all summons, directives and rulings made by Justice Zondo while on the chair should be legally nullified.

Zuma opens his case by saying that Justice Zondo abused several provisions of the law when he applied to have him compelled to testify before the commission. He argues that conduct in relation to him “was entirely biased and lacking the standard of impartiality of a judge and a chairperson of a judicial commission of inquiry”.

Furthermore, Zuma contends that the gravity of Justice Zondo’s allegedly unlawful conduct in relation to his appearance calls for a frontal challenge to the lawfulness of his appointment and consequently the lawfulness of his directives, rulings and decisions relating to him.