Podcasts about chief justice raymond zondo

After being sworn in for a second term as president, Cyril Ramaphosa said parties in the government of national unity (GNU) will have to agree to create jobs and work towards economic growth or they will be removed. The GNU parties are the ANC, DA, IFP, PA and GOOD. Ramaphosa took oath of office before Chief Justice Raymond Zondo at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. He is expected to announce his cabinet soon. About 28-million, or 47%, of South Africans rely on social grants. The most recent official unemployment rate is 32.9%, which does not include jobless South Africans who have given up job hunting. “We are going to get everyone in the GNU to work to create jobs. I am going to make sure that happens” Ramaphosa said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will officially begin serving his second term as president later today. Ramaphosa will be inaugurated by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo at the Union Buildings at 11 o clock. But it hasn't been an easy path to power this time around.It's been an unprecedented road for Cyril Ramaphosa's African National Congress.Lindsay Dentlinger.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo will TODAY preside over the swearing in of the permanent delegates in the National Council of Provinces - NCOP. This follows YESTERDAY's swearing in ceremony of  the hundreds of Members of Parliament at the Cape Town International Convention Centre during the first sitting of the National Assembly of the seventh Parliament. To walk us through today's process Bongiwe Zwane spoke to  the council's secretary, Advocate Modibedi Phindela 

Political expert from the University of South Africa, Professor Dirk Kotze says members of Umkhonto Wesizwe party will still have an opportunity to be sworn in after the first sittings of the National Assembly and the NCOP. This comes after the MK Party signaled its intention to boycott the first sittings expected to take place on Friday and Saturday, which will be presided over by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. The National Assembly sitting is scheduled to take place on Friday morning, while the NCOP is expected to take place on Saturday. The MK party is currently the third largest political party which garnered 58 seats in the Assembly. Kotze says nothing disqualifies the MK members from taking their seats later. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC Politics Editor, Mzwandile Mbeje and SABC Politics reporter, Zoleka Qodashe

At least six political parties have written to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo asking him to appoint a retired judge to facilitate talks on the formation of a Government of National Unity. The UDM, ACDP, ATM, PAC, UAT and BOSA say the 18 political parties that secured one or more seats in the National Assembly should be allowed to decide the make-up of government after no party garnered enough votes to constitute government on its own. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to UDM leader Bantu Holomisa  

As political parties work to form a government of national unity all eyes are on Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. Website

Bongani Bingwa speaks with Xolile George, Secretary to Parliament, about the next steps now that the Electoral Commission of South Africa has handed over the list of members of the National Assembly and provincial legislature to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, and whether the date of parliament's first sitting will be determined by how prepared parliament is to welcome members or by political parties.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo is expected to hand over the list of designated MPs to the Secretary to Parliament, who will then look at how many women are on the list and for which parties amongst other issues. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC researcher, Maswele Ralebone

Outgoing Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has just more than three months left in office before retirement.  President Ramaphosa was appointed Chief Justice Zondo, effectively from the 1st of April 2022, following the retirement of Mogoeng Mogoeng. As Mercedes Besent reports, the 64-year-old Zondo is still expected to preside over the first sitting of the 7th Parliament after the general elections.

Political parties have now submitted their election candidates lists, signatures and deposits to the IEC to ensure participation in the May 29 National and Provincial election. The IEC is currently in the process of verifying the information given by the parties before the candidate lists are made public. The process has however been blemished by leaks of some political parties' candidates lists on social media. The governing ANC had on Friday declared that it will make its candidate list available to the public TOMORROW*.(Monday).  Many are anxiously waiting to see who has made it on the lists. It will also indicate who are the movers and shakers particularly in parties that will be on the ballot for the first time. The ANC's top 7 has also reportedly flagged some senior members who should be removed from the party's national lists as a result of having adverse findings against them in Chief Justice Raymond Zondo's State Capture Report. This is the subject of our Sunday Morning discussion and Bongiwe  Zwane spoke to Political analysts, Dr. Levy Ndou from Tshwane University of Technology

Daily Maverick Journalist, Queenin Masuabi, explains that The ANC has identified 7 senior members, including Malusi Gigaba, David Mahlobo, Zizi Kodwa, and Cedric Frolick, for removal from the party's national lists due to adverse findings in Chief Justice Raymond Zondo's State Capture Report.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has been speaking at the Judges Conference in Sun City, in the North West that kicked off today. He has defended the judiciary against allegations of “capture”, saying he has for the past four years called for evidence, but none has come to light. He has called on members of the judiciary to put their heads together and find ways to improve the country's legislative arm. Thabiso Goba, EWN Reporter joins us to tell more about how the day unfolded.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo says the Judges conference currently taking place at the Sun City Resort in North West must be used to ensure decisions taken must guarantee that the administration of justice in South Africa is put to a higher level. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo was delivering the key note address at the three day Judges conference. The aim of this gathering is to discuss matters of interests to the Judiciary in relation to its constitutional role and mandate. Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo elaborates

Bongani Bingwa speaks to Benedict Phiri, Legal Expert about whether Chief Justice Raymond Zondo breached the Judicial Code of Conduct.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was this week at pains to explain to a skeptical South African public that the country's efforts to fight corruption are gaining traction. Speaking at a dialogue on building a corruption-free SA, an upbeat Ramaphosa said while there is a long road ahead, the fight against corruption is gaining momentum. Among the successes, he listed 9 separate court cases, involving 47 individuals and 21 companies, that have been brought to court. This sentiment was not shared by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo who told the dialogue that the levels of corruption have reached unacceptable proportions and called for drastic measures to be taken urgently. This came in the same week that Justice and Constitutional Development minister, Ronald Lamola, told Parliament that despite several meetings and repeated attempts to get feedback from the United Arab Emirates -UAE - on the Gupta brothers' extradition request, there has been no response. Lamola also told parliamentarians that the whereabouts of the Guptas remain unknown and they have not been charged by any law enforcement agencies in the UAE. To discuss the issues raised at the dialogue and whether South Africans should be optimistic about current efforts to fight corruption we spoke to Melusi Ncala, Senior Researcher at Corruption Watch and Mpumelelo Zikalala, a legal analyst .

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says disbanding the Scorpions was the "worst decision ever" in the fight against corruption. Zondo was speaking at the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council's national dialogue in Boksburg, Johannesburg. The Scorpions, an elite crimefighters unit was established by former President Thabo Mbeki in 1999 to fight high-profile corruption cases. The Unit was eventually disbanded in 2009 by former President Jacob Zuma. Zondo says the Scorpions played a key role in fighting against corruption. Zondo has also called for corruption whistleblowers to be incentivised. To discuss this further we spoke to Executive Director at Corruption Watch, Karam Singh...

Freedom Under Law (FUL) says it will legally challenge the Judicial Service Commission's (JSC's) "inadequate" reasons for only filling two of four vacancies at the Supreme Court of Appeal - and snubbing two candidates who it described as "excellent". FUL made the decision to seek a review of the JSC's SCA appointment process after reading the reasons that the commission provided to the Council for the Advancement of the SA Constitution (Casac) about why it only filled half of the Appeal Court vacancies during interviews held last month. "FUL has studied these reasons and is of the view that the reasons are inadequate, and do not address the significant public concerns which were raised about the appointments in the immediate aftermath of the interviews," it said in a statement. "FUL has accordingly resolved to take the JSC's decision in relation to the appointments to the Supreme court of Appeal on review, and is instructing its legal representatives accordingly. As a courtesy, FUL has advised the JSC [of this] today." In a letter sent to Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the chairperson of the JSC, FUL's Judith February explained that the organisation "has significant concerns about the process followed by the JSC, and the ultimate appointment recommendations" during the SCA interviews. "Accordingly, FUL has resolved to take the JSC's decision on review," she said. That legal action will force the JSC to fully disclose the nearly four hours of deliberations that resulted in the commission appointing Judges Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane and Maleshane Kgoele to the SCA. While Kathree-Setiloane was clearly a favourite among commissioners (having received 20 votes from a pool of 23 commissioners), the JSC's letter to Casac reveals that some commissioners were "not convinced" by the answers that Kgoele gave in her interview, "and whether these reflected an adequate grasp of legal principles". Those reasons also revealed that unsubstantiated claims of racism and arrogance blocked widely respected Judge David Unterhalter from being appointed to the SCA. The judge had not been asked to address any of these accusations during his interview. Despite being described by SCA Deputy President Xola Petse as one of the "heavy lifters and lawyers of substance" that the Appeal Court desperately needs, following the retirements and promotions of its most senior judges, and being praised for his erudite rulings and solid work ethic, Unterhalter was not appointed to SA's second most powerful court. The only explanation for that non-appointment appeared to lie in unsubstantiated racism claims. "Some commissioners stated that Judge Unterhalter is not a team player and appears to be arrogant and even 'racist'. These allegations were considered by some commissioners to be without substance and baseless," the JSC stated in its letter to Casac - without providing any further details of these claims or who had made them. The JSC also noted that some of its commissioners had considered Gauteng High Court Judge Thina Siwendu - who had competently handled a number of high-profile cases and had much-needed experience as a commercial lawyer and business rescue expert - as "an excellent candidate" who had "written cogently on questions of transformation of society and rule of law". Despite this, "some" unnamed commissioners felt that Siwendu did not have enough experience as a High Court judge, the JSC told Casac.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo advised government to "close the taps" in public procurement to effectively fight corruption. Zondo was speaking at the National Dialogue on Anti-Corruption, in Johannesburg, where he said that corruption in the country had reached unacceptable levels, and that unless attended to, citizens would not have a country worthy to call home. He said most of the corruption in the country was in the public procurement sector, which remained vulnerable to corruption with millions of rands looted every day. "If we close the taps in public procurement, we will make a big difference in our fight against corruption," he explained. Zondo believes that if the independent and multi-disciplinary Scorpions unit had not been disbanded, there would not be high levels of corruption in South Africa. "I have a sense that if the Scorpions were not disbanded, we would not have the level of corruption that we have now in our country," he said. WHISTLEBLOWER INCENTIVISATION He noted that whistleblowers and investigative journalists had played a crucial role in the work of the Zondo Commission, highlighting from his recommendations that whistleblowers needed to be protected and incentivised. Zondo explained that while many people were critical of the recommendation to incentivise whistleblowers, he still believed that whistleblowers should get a percentage of the money recovered. He noted that the incentivisation would only apply where money was recovered based on the information disclosed by the whistleblower. Zondo said some people countered his recommendation, by arguing that people would only come forward with information for the money and not because it is the right thing to do. "…but our level of corruption is so bad that we in South Africa do not have the luxury to say we do not want the information because we have to pay. I want all the information. The critical thing is you will not get money if your disclosure did not play a critical role in recovering the money," he explained. Zondo said that citizens had to change the culture of corruption. "It might take long time, but we have to. Each and every one of us in our daily interactions, it is how we raise our children, it's at schools, it's at churches, it's everywhere. We must make sure that everyone abhors corruption, that everyone says we should have no corruption in our country," he said.

The demerit system on licenses back on track after Transport department won with point system in the Constitutional Court. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has suffered a defeat in its bid to have the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act declared invalid and unconstitutional. Outa had won its case in January last year when the Pretoria High Court ruled that both the Aarto Act were inconsistent with the Constitution. However, then Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula lodged an appeal with the ConCourt. During court proceedings , Chief Justice Raymond Zondo ruled in favour of the Transport Ministry, but made no costs order against Outa. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to OUTA CEO, Wayne Duvenage.

The Constitutional Court has found that the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (Aarto) is constitutional. On Wednesday, the apex court overturned an order of the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, which had found Aarto to be unconstitutional and invalid and that it should be scrapped in its entirety. In a unanimous decision delivered by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the justices agreed that Aarto and the way notices would be served to alleged offenders was not inconsistent with the Constitution. The court also concluded that Parliament had the competence to pass the Act. "It cannot be said that Parliament had no power to make this law," Zondo said while delivering the judgment. He added that the court had rejected Outa's contention that Aarto removed certain powers from municipalities and gave them to other state organs. The Act set up a single national system of road traffic regulation, to hold motorists to account for traffic violations.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) announced on Wednesday that it will be tabling a constitutional amendment for the establishment of the “Scorpions 2.0” - a Chapter 9 anti-corruption body to work independently of the executive and without the threat of disbandment by Parliament - to tackle State capture in the country. DA deputy shadow minister of justice and correctional services Werner Horn addressed the media in Johannesburg, where he noted that the DA strongly believed that this institution must be set up to fortify against political manipulation by the African National Congress (ANC) government or even a future government. “This will prevent politicians from disbanding it when it does its work, like we have seen with the Scorpions, which was abolished by a simple majority vote in Parliament. If this entity is positioned in Chapter 9 of the Constitution and identified as being critical to the rule of law in our country, it will require the support of at least 75% of Members of Parliament to be disbanded should it be deemed central to the rule of law,” explained Horn. DA leader John Steenhuisen said it was almost a year since President Cyril Ramaphosa's Anti-Corruption Council was established, however, there's no legislation that has come to Parliament to establish a new South African corruption-fighting body. Steenhuisen explained that in the year since Chief Justice Raymond Zondo released the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector - an exercise that cost the South African taxpayer in excess of R1-billion - the process to implement a raft of recommendations and structural changes to South Africa's State institutions and oversight bodies had come to a grinding halt. He added that of the 98 ANC members mentioned in the Zondo Report, not one has been reprimanded by the party nor handed over to law enforcement for investigation. “In the National Assembly, of the 16 recommendations made by the Zondo Report to bolster and fix Parliament's model of accountability over the executive, the majority of the substantive and immediately implementable recommendations have already been voted down by the ANC,” he said. He highlighted that the DA had taken several steps to ensure that accountability was strengthened, that institutions were rebuilt and bolstered independently and impartially, and that organs of State tasked with the investigation and prosecution of those implicated in corruption were strengthened. The party announced that it had written to the chairperson of the National Anti-Corruption Advisory Council (NACAC) Professor Firoz Cachalia, to highlight a number of concerns the party had with the council's work, which the DA believed had taken place predominantly in a vacuum of transparency where only the executive had had sight of the council's proposals, and not the necessary independent institutions such as Parliament. “This should be of particular concern to all South Africans given that we cannot trust the NACAC's impartiality and credibility if it is proposing solutions to a problem of corruption to the very source of the corruption problem itself. This despite an initial assurance from President Cyril Ramaphosa in his 2021 State of the Nation Address that the NACAC would report to Parliament and not the executive,” said Steenhuisen. WHISTLEBLOWERS' SAFETY The DA believes government is moving at a “snail's pace” to strengthen and expand whistleblower protection, as well as the substance of the amendments government is considering. The DA said government had failed to show the type of urgency and seriousness demanded by the critical role whistleblowers needed to play in an effective fight against corruption. During the 2022 State of the Nation Address, Ramaphosa announced that the relevant law enforcement agencies were to take the “necessary steps to address the immediate concern about the safety of whistleblowers”. Horn noted that unfortunatel...

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and Parliament's presiding officers Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Amos Masondo are expected to meet today at Constitutional Hill in Johannesburg over the next two days. The aim of the meeting is to smooth relations between the judiciary and parliament. The meeting comes after statements made by Zondo last week. He said he has not seen the implementation of the State Capture Commission's recommendations by parliament. Mapisa-Nqakula and Masondo requested the meeting after the lawmakers took exception to Zondo's comments. Bongiwe Zwane spoke to SABC reporter, Busi Chimombe.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has criticised parliament for its failure to protect South Africa from state capture, and the remarks have not been well received. Parliament says it is inappropriate for the chief justice, representing one of the arms of the state, to engage in public attacks on the legislature. Business Day TV spoke to Tauriq Moosa, Legal Writer for Business Day Editorial for his view on the matter.

The Jacob Zuma Foundation is demanding President Cyril Ramaphosa withdraw what they term "his illegal and irrational" appointment of Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. President Ramaphosa appointed Zondo last year after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission and political party leaders in the National Assembly. The Zuma Foundation says Ramaphosa has until next week Thursday to withdraw the appointment or face legal action. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Mr. Mzwanele Manyi, Spokesperson for the Jacob Zuma Foundation

Chief justice Raymond Zondo will be conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) degree by Rhodes University next week.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says the ANC needs to reflect on what it should have done and what it failed to do which allowed state capture to become so rampant.

 Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo has lamented corruption and argues that it robs poor South Africans of decent living conditions. Speaking at the second day of the commemoration of International Anti-Corruption Day at UNISA in Pretoria, Zondo zoomed in on state owned entities including Prasa. Prasa is a public entity wholly-owned by Government and reports to the Minister of Transport, however, the state entity has been a victim of corruption. In his State Capture report, Zondo recommended the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the corruption at the SOE. Zaleka Qodashe filed this report.

Chris Hani's widow wants the Constitutional Court to rescind its decision to give murderer Janusz Waluś parole, but this will be a tall order a law expert told News24. Limpho Hani and the South African Communist Party (SACP) have applied to the Constitutional Court to rescind its decision to give Walus parole. They want the case to be heard anew at a date to be determined by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. Last week, the apex court ruled that Waluś be released from Kgosi Mampuru prison in Tshwane within 10 working days, after he had served his sentence for Hani's 1993 murder. On Tuesday, correctional services said an inmate stabbed Waluś. He is in a stable condition after receiving treatment in prison. On Wednesday, members of the ANC, SACP and Cosatu staged a protest outside the prison. Organisers said they wanted to express their anger and dissatisfaction that Waluś was set to be released. In her court papers, Hani argues that she was not "treated fairly by the court". She also says the judgment had "a patent error" because her submissions were not fully examined. She said only applications by Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola and Waluś were fully considered. She said the court "lacked independence" by not evaluating her submissions. In her affidavit, Hani said the decision by the court to grant Waluś parole by taking the power away from Lamola was an error. She said Waluś's South African citizenship was revoked in 2016, and the court should have considered this before granting the parole. "This Court denied the Minister an opportunity to deal with the most important aspect of parole in the present case, being the fact that the first respondent's citizenship has been revoked. "Given the importance, the citizenship status on parole matters, and the fact that the status of the first respondent has never been fully canvassed before this Court and less or no information is placed before this Court. The Minister is incapable of releasing the applicant on day parole and/or imposing parole conditions on him in circumstances where his release from prison to serve parole in South Africa shall itself be an offence," she said. Earlier this week, Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said Waluś had been granted citizenship so he could serve his parole here and not in his native Poland. Constitutional law expert Professor Pierre de Vos said it was hard for the judgment to be rescinded. "Right now, it will be hard to say, but it will all depend on the arguments they bring. They have to bring something that is plausible for it to be successful." Waluś's lawyer, Julian Knight declined to comment on the application.

The lawyer representing Janusz Walus has welcomed the Constitutional Court's ruling for Chris Hani's killer to be released on parole within 10 days. Handing down his ruling yesterday Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said Minister Ronald Lamola's decision not to grant Janusz Walus parole was irrational and must be set aside. For more on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Chrispin Phiri, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services

South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Solly Mapaila reacted to the Constitutional Court ruling on Janusz Walus by stating that it was “sickeningly disappointing” and by claiming that it failed to protect the party's right to exist as communists. On Monday the Constitutional Court ruled that Walus - who gunned down SACP leader Chris Hani nearly 30 years ago - should be released on parole within 10 days. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said more than 15 years had passed since Walus had become eligible for parole. Mapaila explained that the judgment did not say anything about the submissions made by the SACP and the Hani family when the court heard the matter. “The judgment has far-reaching implications that compel the SACP to analyse it deeper and look for a new way forward under the circumstances. The reality we now face is that the court failed to protect our right to exist as communists. We will have to protect this right ourselves,” said Mapaila. He said the assassination of Hani left a gaping wound in his family, the SACP and the ranks of the working class and added that the judgment has rubbed salt granules to the wound. “Hani was assassinated for being a communist, for leading the struggle for democracy in our country, but the Hani family permanently lost a husband, father, uncle, you name it all,” he explained. The SACP highlighted that like Hani, they are unapologetic for being communists.

The Constitutional Court has ruled that Janusz Walus - who gunned down South African Communist Party (SACP) leader Chris Hani nearly 30 years ago - should be released on parole within 10 days. In handing down judgment, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo said Justice Minister Ronald Lamola's decision was irrational and should be reviewed and set aside. Zondo said more than 15 years had passed since Walus had become eligible for parole. He said Walus apologised to the family more than once. Walus approached the apex court to review Lamola's decision on 16 March 2020 not to approve his release on parole. The Polish immigrant is serving a life sentence at the Kgosi Mampuru II Correctional Facility for the murder of anti-apartheid activist Hani in 1993.

OUTA's latest oversight report finds parliament continues to flounder in its responsibilities to hold the executive to account or to properly scrutinise how taxpayers' money is spent or, in many cases wasted. The report titled ‘Kicking the can down the road' – the fourth annual report of its kind from OUTA – paints a grim picture of an institution that has not sought to revamp its tattered reputation in the wake of state capture. In his state capture report, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo pointed fingers at parliament for utterly failing in its duties to perform oversight and haul before it those members of the executive who are doing the bidding of the Guptas. BizNews correspondent Michael Appel approached OUTA's Parliamentary Engagement and Research Manager, Rachel Fischer, for some insight into parliament's continued malaise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he has received the amended version of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture Report, which incorporates corrections made by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who chaired the Commission. The release follows the granting of permission by the Pretoria High Court on the 4th of October 2022, to allow Zondo to make corrections to the final volume of the report which was submitted to the Presidency in June this year. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Professor Sethulego Matebesi, a political analyst from the University of Free State

The Presidency on Wednesday confirmed that it has received the amended version of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry report from Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who chaired the Commission. The release follows the granting of permission by the Pretoria High Court on the 4th of October 2022, to allow Chief Justice Zondo to make corrections to the final volume of the report which was submitted to the Presidency in June 2022. The corrections will be in Volume 2 and Volume 3 of the report. Both were handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa on 22 June. The amended report will be made available on the Presidency's website, the Presidency said.

After a term in which opposition parties criticised the African National Congress (ANC) caucus for its failure to uphold the Constitution – which they swore to do when they became MPs – a senior ANC MP likened the opposition to fascists and accused the media of not reporting on the party's "tremendous success" in Parliament. Ahead of Parliament's fourth term for the year getting underway after a brief recess, the chairperson of the ANC caucus, Seiso Mohai, penned a missive with regard to the third term, which was released to the media at the weekend. In the letter, he criticised the opposition and the media. The term saw the ANC circle the wagons around President Cyril Ramaphosa, as opposition parties turned up the heat over the allegations around the break-in at his Limpopo game farm, Phala Phala. In August, after Ramaphosa refused to answer a question on Phala Phala, the ANC alleged that he did, indeed, answer the question. In September, the ANC nixed a DA motion to establish an ad hoc committee to investigate Phala Phala, using a discredited notion that other agencies must first investigate before it comes to Parliament. This is the same excuse the ANC used not to appoint an ad hoc committee into state capture, and Chief Justice Raymond Zondo rubbished this reasoning in his report. "Leaving it exclusively to other agencies to investigate and, if necessary, to take action regarding these allegations, at this time, was not in the commission's view consistent with Parliament's constitutional responsibilities," the Zondo report read. The third term also saw the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) disrupting plenaries, with some of their members physically removed from the chambers. This is what led Mohai to the history books, comparing Julius Malema's red overalls to Adolf Hitler's Brownshirts and Benito Mussolini's Blackshirts, even though he never mentioned the EFF by name when he wrote about fascism. "When historians write about Parliament's third term of 2022, they will most likely remark about the attempt by minority opposition political parties, with less than a third of seats in the National Assembly, to dominate the house through coercion and bullying. The events of this term have a historical ring to them (sic)," wrote Mohai. "The attacks on democracy by some of the South African opposition parties, with the uncritical complicity of some in the media, I might add, have been concentrated on the head of state, President Cyril Ramaphosa." He complained that by disrupting National Assembly sittings to "force the president to account on a matter still under investigation by other state agencies, opposition parties have taken a leaf out of Mussolini and Hitler's playbook". "They use the most vulgar language, threats and actual violence to drown out the voices of the elected representatives of the majority party and abuse opposition party leaders who disagree with them. "When the Speaker calls upon the Parliamentary Protection Services to restore order, the same politicians project themselves as victims of unfair rulings by the Speaker." Mohai said the ANC caucus and presiding officers in Parliament are "often projected as lackeys of the Executive by the media". "The reality, however, is different. In the seven weeks of the third term, Parliament had a week-long capacity-building course for MPs. It hosted successful question and answer sessions for the president, deputy president, and all the ministers in the NA and NCOP, adopting many committee reports and legislation. The NCOP held a successful local government week, which discussed solutions to the multiple challenges facing our municipalities. "In the NA, we dealt with pressing matters, like fuel prices and the criminal vandalisation of public infrastructure. We passed consequential legislation, including the Children's Amendment Bill, Traditional Courts Bill and the Expropriation Bill. Incidentally, the vote on the Expropriation Bill exposed the duplicity of the EFF. This...

Former minister Mosebenzi Zwane, who has been charged with fraud, theft, and money laundering in connection with the Vrede dairy farm project, made his first appearance in the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on Wednesday morning. He appeared alongside former Sahara employee Ugeshni Govender and Gupta lieutenant Ronica Ragavan. Zwane, an MP, was detained after he handed himself over to police. News24 previously reported that the project was meant to empower 65 community members, including emerging black farmers who had been named as beneficiaries. Estina, which was handed the project, is accused of siphoning millions, effectively collapsing the project and leaving the intended beneficiaries high and dry. At the time, Zwane was the Free State agriculture MEC. In its last report, the State Capture Inquiry recommended that Zwane and former Free State premier Ace Magashule face a criminal investigation for their alleged roles in the scandal. Magashule has not been charged in connection with the project. Inquiry chairperson, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, suggested that the provincial government get legal advice about suing Zwane and Magashule to recover money that was lost as a result of their failure to fulfil their obligations as MEC and premier.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says the protection of whistleblowers is of paramount importance – if South Africa wants to avoid a repeat of state capture.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo believes the African National Congress (ANC) may not have learnt its lesson, and should state capture happen again, the party would still use its majority to protect those implicated. "They are many questions that arise in the context of what I call the Gupta-Zuma state capture. One of them is why Parliament did not stop this," he said. "The evidence led before the commission was clear that Parliament had all the power to stop it but did not stop it because the majority party didn't want to stop it." Zondo, who chaired the State Capture Commission of Inquiry, was giving the keynote address at News24's On the Record Summit on Thursday. "Many times, opposition parties tabled motions for the establishment of inquiries to look into the allegations of the influence of the Guptas on the president. "A number of parties also tabled motions of no confidence into the president as a way of trying to stop this, but of course the majority party would have nothing to do with it." He said should "the Guptas be back and not in jail and be free in SA and started all over again, would Parliament act different [and prevent state capture]". "I doubt that they [MPs] would act differently because the evidence was quite clear that members of the majority party are not expected to support a motion of no confidence in the president of the country who belonged to their party. "Then the question arises if we are at risk of what happened again and Parliament not being able to act. These are matters that must be considered. They are very difficult matters." In his findings, Zondo blamed in the main ANC MPs for their unwillingness to expose allegations of malfeasance and corruption to public scrutiny. He said the National Assembly had a constitutional duty to exercise oversight over the executive, including organs of state such as state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and had failed dismally in this regard. "The problem here was not Parliament's ability to ferret out the truth [questions put in the National Assembly by opposition MPs elicited admission in this regard] but the ANC stance that there was nothing wrong with this," read one of Zondo's reports. On Thursday, the chief justice said, "of course, Parliament operates on the basis of the majority, and whatever decisions are taken by the majority stands". He, however, went on to say such governance needed to be interrogated now if it still served the needs of all South Africans or only the governing party. Zondo succinctly summarised the crux of his state capture findings and reiterated the commission had indeed uncovered state capture. "Many of us gathered here, and those who have read on state capture may be aware that internationally a definition of state capture includes changing laws and changing policies for benefactors to benefit from public funds. "The view we took [as the commission] in the contest of SA was to go back to the Public Protector's report, and it became clear to us that when you go to that report, the main focus of what the Public Protector had in mind was that there were allegations that the Gupta family was exercising undue influence on the head of state. "Through their proximity to him [then-president Jacob Zuma], the Guptas influenced decisions in governments and SOEs that were aimed at enriching themselves and their entities from public funds unlawfully," said Zondo.

Bernadette Wicks  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the African National Congress (ANC) heads into its policy conference starting on Thursday, its national leadership has a tough task ahead if it hopes to retain one of its instruments for forging renewal – its step-aside policy. The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal – the province with the biggest ANC membership – has become the first provincial leadership group to call for the scrapping of the party's renewal enforcing policy, the step-aside rule. The call was made by newly elected provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo, when he gave an update on what resolutions the ANC in the province had taken during closed discussions. The ANC's KwaZulu-Natal conference was held in Durban over the weekend. Mtolo said the provincial ANC had officially adopted the position that the step-aside policy and its revised guidelines should be scrapped entirely. "The conference, therefore, resolved that its delegates at the national policy conference must forward a proposal that the step-aside policy must not only be reviewed, but must be scrapped," said Mtolo. The step-aside policy bars criminally charged ANC members from being nominated and standing for election at any level in the party. The revision of the policy prevented the winning slate from fulfilling its wishes of having criminally charged eThekwini ANC chairperson Zandile Gumede stand for election for the position of provincial treasurer. It was thought that the powerful ANC eThekwini region had turned its back on the former chairperson Sihle Zikalala, and former secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli, because it believed that they were not willing to challenge the national ANC on the step-aside policy. Mtolo said the ANC's national executive committee (NEC) had seemingly encroached on the will of ANC branches through this policy. Mtolo said the policy prevented them from electing whoever they wished. He said this situation would stop in KwaZulu-Natal, as the province prepared itself to fight tooth and nail to overturn the step-aside policy. The ANC in Limpopo is also expected to make a call for the policy to be reviewed. Mtolo also said that delegates at the conference had resolved to support former president Jacob Zuma. "We have developed a comprehensive support programme for the former president's legacy...," he said. He said as a former president, Zuma should not be "isolated" and that it was not supposed to be the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal's duty to ensure that Zuma's legacy was preserved. Newly elected provincial chairperson Sboniso Duma echoed similar antagonistic views as he delivered his closing remarks at the elective conference. He said the organisation's renewal project had been weaponised and used to weed out dissenting voices from the ANC. The outspoken former youth league leader also took a dig at Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. "Zondo is no longer a judge, but a political analyst, or employed to push certain narratives," said Duma. He also criticised the non-payment of the salaries of ANC staff members, saying such an act should be regarded as an atrocity. He said this would lead to demotivated staff members, which could have further consequences, such as delayed conferences, ahead of its national elective conference later this year.

In his capacity as president of the country, Cyril Ramaphosa will oppose the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) court application to have the African National Congress's (ANC's) cadre deployment policy declared unlawful and unconstitutional, despite the Zondo Commission's damning findings against the controversial policy – and taxpayers will have to foot the lawyers' bill. This week, Ramaphosa, the Government of the Republic South Africa, and the Minister of Public Service and Administration filed notices to oppose the application, following a notice from the ANC. Thulas Nxesi is acting as the public service and administration minister. The State Attorney signed the notices that were filed at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. The DA lodged the case about two weeks before the final part of the Zondo Commission report was released. In the report, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo concluded that cadre deployment played a significant role in enabling State capture. Zondo went on to say that the policy was unlawful and unconstitutional. DA MP Leon Schreiber, who has been spearheading the DA's efforts to abolish cadre deployment, says Ramaphosa's decision to formally defend cadre deployment in court in his capacity as the president of the country, rather than ANC president, "confirms beyond all reasonable doubt that he has no intention of meaningfully eradicating State capture". Schreiber referred to Zondo's finding that cadre deployment facilitated State capture through "the appointment of pliant individuals to powerful positions in State entities". "Yet now that the commission has implicated the ANC cadre deployment committee that he chaired during the Zuma years, Ramaphosa, his party and his entire government are clearly hell-bent on defying the Zondo report in order to protect ANC cadre deployment – the very foundation of State capture," Schreiber said. According to Schreiber, the opposition to the case from Ramaphosa and his government also amounts to an abuse of public resources to protect the ANC. "At the very least, a president who was sensitive to the damage wrought by cadre corruption would have indicated that he would simply abide by the court's decision," Schreiber said. "Instead, Ramaphosa and the South African government have chosen to actively abuse State resources in order to protect a corrupt policy of a political party. "In the notice of his intention to oppose the DA's case, Ramaphosa even indicated that he will be represented in the matter by the State Attorney of the Republic of South Africa. He has thus instructed the State Attorney – which is supposed to serve the needs of citizens rather than political parties – to spend millions of rands in court to defend the ANC," he said.

Over the past few years, people in South Africa have been questioning the role corruption has played in their country's recent fortunes. In June, the Zondo commission - an inquiry named after it's chairperson Chief Justice Raymond Zondo - reported widespread corruption during the presidency of Jacob Zuma. It found that ANC leaders, including former and current government ministers, allegedly participated or encouraged looting at a massive cost to the country. Mr Zuma is standing trial on allegations of corruption which he denies. But the ANC has expressed its appreciation to the commission and said it would engage with its findings and take steps to address them. Chief Justice Zondo also suggested that electoral reform is needed to stop corruption in the future. He wants South Africans to directly elect their president, rather than voting for a political party which picks the head of state. So, could this be part of the answer? #AfricaDaily

Dr Lumkile Mondi from the Wits School of Economics and Finance says it remains "shocking and very disappointing" that three of the four CEOs of major banks bowed to political pressure and went to meetings at the ANC's Luthuli House. This after being summoned to explain their Gupta bank account closures in mid-2016. The so-called Big Four - Standard Bank, Nedbank, FNB and Absa - unbanked the Gupta family and their business entities citing reputational risk. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo's report dealing with the matter has made interesting recommendations about financial institutions' ability to drop a person or business as a client without due consideration. BizNews editor Michael Appel spoke to Mondi about Zondo's recommendation for a change in banking legislation to ensure "a requirement of fairness". Also, Mondi says our current Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has a lot to answer for regarding his conduct at the time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Cyril Ramaphosa stated on Monday that government must ensure there is redress, justice and accountability relating to those implicated in the Zondo Commission reports. Last week, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo handed Ramaphosa the final instalment of the report into the allegations of State capture, four-and-a-half years after the Commission began its work. Ramaphosa said South Africa was emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, which he said was a “great national trauma” that caused untold damage, destruction and heartbreak, but pointed out that the State capture era was a different kind of national trauma. He said State capture's damage extended beyond the ransacking of the public purse and the destruction of the country's public institutions. He said that it was also a betrayal of the values of the country's Constitution, and of the principles on which the country's democracy was founded. Ramaphosa noted that the “immoral, unethical and criminal behaviour of self-serving individuals in positions of authority” undermined the confidence of South Africans in leaders and institutions. This had created a trust gap that would take some time to close, he said. “Having now known what happened and who was involved, our work begins in earnest. We must ensure there is redress, justice and accountability, and that such a shameful period never happens again,” Ramaphosa said. He said citizens now had an opportunity to make a decisive break with the excesses of the past by building a society free of corruption and a State rooted in ethics, professionalism and capability. “We also have an opportunity to reconstruct a society that is more inclusive, more humane, founded in equal opportunity for all, and that protects the most vulnerable,” he added. COVID-19 Last week, the remaining Covid-19 restrictions were lifted, including limitations on gatherings, international travel and wearing masks in public. Ramaphosa explained that the decision to lift the restrictions was made in the light of a decline in daily cases, hospitalisations and reported deaths, adding that for the first time in over two years, the country did not have any Covid restrictions in place. “While there was not much fanfare about the lifting of the last Covid-19 restrictions, there has been a tectonic shift in our national psyche. We are emerging from a great national trauma that caused untold damage, destruction and heartbreak,” he said. Ramaphosa stressed that the Covid-19 pandemic was not over, and he called for vigilance and caution from citizens to prevent a resurgence. “Where many thought it would crumble, our health care system survived. It served our nation well by providing care, saving lives and vaccinating millions. We owe an eternal debt to the courage and dedication of the health workers and many other people on the frontlines of the pandemic,” he said.

The final report of the Zondo Commission into State Capture: with the handing over by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo of his 1800 page final report to President Cyril Ramaphosa in Wednesday the lengthy and tortuous road towards uncovering the truth about state capture corruption and fraud in SA has now reached a long-awaited formal interrogative conclusion. Although the Zondo Commission has often been criticized for not meeting its deadlines, after nearly four years of investigation by the Zondo Commission the massive and cumulative amount of evidence revealed by it nonetheless remains overwhelmingly large to manage. Globally, gauges of factory activity in Japan, Britain, the euro zone and United States all softened in June, with U.S. producers reporting the first outright drop in new orders in two years in the face of slumping confidence. read more Bonds rallied hard on hopes the bets on aggressive rate hikes would have to be curtailed, with German two-year yields down 22 basis points in their biggest drop since 2008. European Central Bank and Federal Reserve speakers will be watched closely later in the day, as will British retail sales data and German business confidence. Beyond that, the main worry is what it all means for company performance. Lots to discuss with Warwick Lucas Head of Galileo Securities; Raymond Parsons, professor in the School of Business and Governance at Northwest University & Isaah Mhlanga, Chief Economist at Alex Forbes

The Public Protector said on Friday it wanted President Cyril Ramaphosa to submit a plan to Parliament on how the recommendations from the State Capture Commission of Inquiry will be implemented. Commission chairperson Chief Justice Raymond Zondo handed over the final part of the report to Ramaphosa on Wednesday night. The Public Protector welcomed the conclusion of the Commission's work and pointed out that the Commission was a product of a 2016 Public Protector investigation report. The Public Protector wants to be kept informed of all the implemented recommendations and hopes to monitor the progress of this from reports submitted by Parliament and the Presidency. The Public Protector's office has sent Ramaphosa a letter requesting copies of the Commission's report in full.

Guest: Theto Mahlakoana | Reporter at Eyewitness News See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has recommended that former Free State premier Ace Magashule, "Gupta Minister" Mosebenzi Zwane, and Tony Gupta be investigated over the Vrede dairy farm project, which he condemns as a "complete disaster". He also suggested that Zwane and Magashule should be sued to recover money lost as a result of their alleged conduct in relation to the alleged scam. Tony Gupta is currently in custody at a Dubai police station. He and his brother, Atul, face possible extradition to South Africa in connection with the R24.9-million Nulane Investment scam – which was a precursor to the alleged R280-million Vrede fraud. It is unclear whether the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will charge him and his family members in connection with the project. Magashule, meanwhile, is facing charges linked to the so-called "asbestos scam". This scam saw millions earmarked for the removal of asbestos from the homes of the Free State's most impoverished residents allegedly being funnelled into the pockets of ANC bigwigs and government officials. Magashule denies all wrongdoing. In the last part of his report, Zondo not only recommends that Magashule and Zwane face criminal investigation over Vrede, but also slams them for failing to perform their oversight functions as then-premier and MEC. He previously condemned them for this failure in connection with the Free State's R1-billion housing project debacle, where houses promised to the poor were never delivered. Zondo has now recommended that the Free State government get legal advice over whether it should sue Magashule and Zwane "to recover such monies as may be recovered from them that were lost by the [Department of Agriculture and Rural Development] in the Vrede Dairy Project as a result of their failure. to perform their legal obligations". "It is necessary that there be consequences for people who fail to do their job. Otherwise, this corruption and these acts of state capture are going to continue forever to the detriment of the country and all people. Neither the Provincial Legislature nor the ANC called the Premier to account for the Asbestos Project and the R1 billion Housing Project Debacle. Premiers must know that they must supervise the MECs and their Departments," Zondo stated. While the Guptas repeatedly sought to distance themselves from the Vrede project, Zondo pointed to testimony by Magashule's former director-general, Elizabeth Rockman, to demonstrate that the Guptas were involved in the scheme. The project was justified on the basis that it would empower at least 100 poor black farmers. Rockman testified that she had met Tony Gupta on 6 April 2013, when he "requested the outstanding payment to Estina (the Gupta-linked "implementing agent" in relation to Vrede) in respect of the dairy project". Just 12 days later, a payment of R34.95-million was made by the Free State government to Estina. A further R30-million was paid eight days later. Rockman had been invited to the lavish Gupta wedding at Sun City, which was alleged to have been funded by Estina cash, but didn't attend. Rockman also revealed that she had subsequently met with Tony Gupta in February 2014, and had discussed media reports about the death of cattle linked to the Vrede project. In his findings on Vrede, Zondo painstakingly documents how the project, which was originally estimated to cost R13-million and later ballooned to a proposed cost of R572-million, repeatedly breached procurement processes. To make matters worse, Estina was an IT company, with no experience in effective and sustainable dairy farming. The Estina contract was cancelled in August 2014 following media reports about how the Gupta dairy farm had flouted Treasury rules, and a damning Treasury-initiated investigation into the project. Despite this cancellation, R106.2-million in payments were subsequently made to Estina. Magashule declined to give evidence about his oversight of the project or respond to testimony by his fo...

The Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture on Tuesday explained that chairperson Chief Justice Raymond Zondo wanted a final opportunity for quality assurance before submitting the final part of the Commission's report on State capture to President Cyril Ramaphosa. The report was expected to be handed over to Ramaphosa last Wednesday. However, Zondo informed Ramaphosa on Thursday that the report would be delayed. The commission then stated that the electronic report will be submitted to the President on Sunday night. This did not happen. On Monday morning, Ramaphosa and Zondo had a brief telephone call in which Zondo "offered reassurance on the delivery of the report and discussed the coordination for the handover ceremony". Secretary of the Commission Professor Itumeleng Mosala said, on behalf of Zondo, that contrary to reports on social media, Zondo and Ramaphosa did not have any meeting on Monday. He also said Ramaphosa did not interfere with the work of the commission in any way. “The chairperson regrets any inconvenience caused by the delay and the postponement. The chairperson just wanted to have one final opportunity for quality assurance as he was at the JSC interview yesterday and could not do that quality assurance until sometime in the afternoon,” said Mosala said. The report is now expected to be handed over to Ramaphosa on Wednesday.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says Justice Jody Kollapen and Acting Justice Dunstan Mlambo disclosed having contact with Ismail Abramjee – but denied that they had provided him with any confidential information about the Constitutional Court. Zondo has also promised that the investigation he initiated into Abramjee's SMS – claiming to have it "on good authority" that the apex court would rule against Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane – would be "completed by the end of next week or in a few days thereafter" and its outcome made public. On Tuesday, Mkhwebane released a "closing report" into her "own investigation" into the text that Abramjee sent to counsel for Parliament Andrew Breitenbach SC. The text was sent on the eve of her Western Cape High Court application to block Parliament from proceeding with an inquiry into her fitness, pending the outcome of that rescission case in the apex court. That text read, "Hello Adv Breytenbach (sic) Re: The Public Protector case tomorrow. I have it on very good authority that the Concourt has declined to hear the Public Protector's rescission application. The decision will be made known sometime this coming week but not later than Friday. I thought I'd just share this with you on a strictly confidential basis. Thanks." Mkhwebane said her office had subsequently subpoenaed cellphone records, which revealed that there had been 18 calls between Abramjee and recently appointed Constitutional Court Justice Kollapen "between 04 January 2022 and 22 April 2022, two days before Adv. Breitenbach SC received the controversial SMS". Abramjee maintained that these calls were innocent and concerned the work that he and Kollapen did at the Pretoria Legacy Foundation, which had hosted an event to celebrate Kollapen's appointment to the Constitutional Court on 4 March. He said a call made to him by Mlambo on 4 March concerned directions to that event. In a statement released by the Office of the Chief Justice, Zondo has revealed that "within days after Mr. Abramjee's SMS saga had arisen, Justice Kollapen informed the Chief Justice and other Justices of the Constitutional Court that he had known Mr. Abramjee for many years, and they live in the same area". "He also informed the Chief Justice and other Justices of the Constitutional Court that he and Mr. Abramjee are members of the Pretoria Legacy Foundation and that he and Mr. Abramjee do interact with each other, including by calling each other. He also pointed out that Mr. Abramjee also attended a function sometime in March this year which was organised by the Pretoria Legacy Foundation in his (Justice Kollapen's) honour." According to the statement, Mlambo had informed Zondo and other Justices of the Constitutional Court "that he, too, attended the function that was organised in honour of Justice Kollapen, which Mr. Abramjee also attended". "He said that he was meeting Mr. Abramjee for the first time in that function and has never met him thereafter. "Both Justices also stated that they never disclosed to Mr. Abramjee any confidential information concerning any case at the Court."

Justice Dennis Davis said on Monday that the absence of forensic skills among members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) impairs crime prevention in the country. He pointed out that Police Minister Bheki Cele previously stated that many South Africans join the police owing to unemployment and not because they want to serve the country. Davis was speaking during a University of Free State webinar with the theme “Crime in South Africa- who is to blame?”, where he pointed out that incompetent skills in the police force, relating to fingerprints and the collection of evidence, were detrimental to successful convictions. He said the solution to the problem was an extreme overhaul of the entire police service. He also spoke of the high levels of corruption in the police force, which he said was adding to crime. NATIONAL PROSECUTING AUTHORITY He did not shy away from stating that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was gutted under Shaun Abrahams. He questioned whether those implicated in the State Capture report, released by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, will be successfully prosecuted. He added that without massive supplementation from the private bar and various other forensic accountant facilities he did not feel confident about the prospects. “The NPA is an organisation which was so degraded under the Jacob Zuma era that it is going to take an enormous effort in order to resurrect it to the extent that it should be. I am deeply despondent in that regard. I should add that there are some extremely talented prosecutors and very dedicated people within the NPA, let me not be misunderstood. “ The problem is that when you spend in deliberate terms to ensure that this is an organisation that doesn't work, coupled with the inability of the police to do their job properly, that itself is an extraordinary problem,” Davis said. He added that court hearings should fast-track cases, as there are currently unnecessary delays. NATIONAL SECURITY He pointed out that if the country had “proper national security”, it is possible that the 2021 July riots would not have occurred. He said government would have also been aware of what was going on and many convictions would have already occurred. “Just as with the NPA and the police, we are now reaping the consequences of State capture. That is a massive difficulty,” he added. He also said the effects of 300 years of violence, racism, sexism and apartheid cannot be forgotten. “There are a series of psychological issues and political reasons that we need to face head on in relation to what the consequences of apartheid were,” he said. He stressed that the country would not win in the fight against crime when people still lived under degraded conditions and when people were failed by the State.

The Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs has adopted a report recommending that the National Assembly reappoint Glen Mashinini as a commissioner of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). This was after the Democratic Alliance (DA) proposed a different candidate, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) abstained from voting at the Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs' meeting on Tuesday morning. It was taken to a vote, with the African National Congress's (ANC's) six MPs supporting Mashinini's reappointment and the two DA MPs supporting the candidate they nominated, advocate Carol Chaplog-Louw. The DA's Angel Khanyile and the EFF's Lorato Tito asked that their parties' objection to Mashinini's nomination be noted in the committee's report. This report will now go to the National Assembly for adoption before Mashinini can be reappointed. Mashinini is the current IEC chair. "As the Democratic Alliance, we reject the nomination of Mr Mashinini, and we would like to put forth a different name," said Khanyile. "We strongly feel the previous elections were not held in a manner that was satisfactory to most of the parties that were on the ground in various VDs (voting districts)." She nominated Chaplog-Louw. "She (Chaplog-Louw) is currently with the IEC. She is very well experienced with the IEC, currently holding the position of chief audit executive, and other than that, she has served in various roles in the IEC." ANC MP Tidimalo Legwase confirmed the ANC's position that Mashinini should "continue with the sterling work that he has been doing". "Looking at the previous elections that was one of its kind, it was very difficult, but he were able to pull through under difficult conditions in a short period of time. He has proved himself over and over again that his work and his dedication towards delivering free and fair elections to our country (sic)," she said. Mashinini's original seven-year term as an IEC commissioner expired in April. He was appointed as a commissioner in April 2015, and in September of that year, former president Jacob Zuma appointed him as the chairperson. In February this year, the Office of the Chief Justice called for nominations to fill one pending vacancy on the IEC. Subsequently, a panel – chaired by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and comprising Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, Commission for Gender Equality chairperson Tamara Mathebula, and SA Human Rights Commission chairperson Bongani Majola – was convened to compile a shortlist of 12 candidates to be interviewed. The interviews were conducted on 1 April at the Premier Hotel in Midrand. Three candidates withdrew their applications before the interviews, and nine candidates were interviewed. The panel then compiled a shortlist with eight candidates and referred it to Parliament, where it was sent to the committee. The eight candidates, in alphabetical order, were: Justice Bekebeke Carol Chaplog-Louw Edward Lambani Nalini Maharaj Glen Mashinini Sithembile Mbete Bongiwe Mbomvu Mfundo Thango

A Western Cape High Court judge asked Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane's lawyer whether she was alleging that Chief Justice Raymond Zondo lied. The court is hearing Mkhwebane's application for an interdict to prohibit Parliament's Section 194 Committee from continuing with her impeachment proceedings and to prevent President Cyril Ramaphosa from suspending her. This comes after the committee decided to forge ahead, despite Mkhwebane's initial application to the Constitutional Court for a rescission of its decision, which effectively gave Parliament the green light to continue. The matter was suspended on 26 April after it emerged that self-described legal analyst Ismail Abramjee sent an SMS to Parliament's counsel, advocate Andrew Breitenbach, SC. It read, "Hello Adv Breytenbach (sic). Re: The Public Protector case tomorrow. I have it on very good authority that the ConCourt has declined to hear the Public Protector's rescission application. The decision will be made known sometime this coming week but not later than Friday. I thought I'd just share this with you on a strictly confidential basis. Thanks." On Wednesday, Mkhwebane's advocate, Dali Mpofu, SC, described the SMS as "the biggest scandal to ever hit our courts". As it turned out, the Constitutional Court announced that it would not hear Mkhwebane's rescission application a week later than Abramjee predicted. Mkhwebane has since applied for the initial rescission decision to be rescinded. Mpofu argued, "The mere fact that the judgment is delated by a week, cannot by any stretch of the imagination be read to mean that what Mr Abramjee was saying was not going to happen on the 29th if it had not been outed. So let's just stop there." He said Zondo gave an interview to the SABC on 28 April. "He said he was asked three times: 'Has the decision been made?' He gave three different answers. Mpofu said the first time after the question was asked, Zondo said the matter was pending and the Constitutional Court would announce the decision when ready. "Let's pause there, he doesn't say decision isn't made," Mpofu said. The second time, Zondo said the Constitutional Court would announce when a decision is taken. Judge Nathan Erasmus said Mpofu was, by implication, saying Zondo was lying. "No. No, no, no, no," Mpofu responded. "How else must I read it?" Erasmus said. Mpofu said, "Well I don't know [Judge] Erasmus." Mpofu added that Zondo didn't give a "clear and unambiguous answer" and that Mkhwebane, owing to her confusion, instructed her attorneys to write a letter to the Constitutional Court to gain clarity. "This is as clear as mud," Mpofu said. He said the letter Mkhwebane's attorneys sent was a "nice letter". He added that the answer they got was that the court didn't want to engage. This came on the same day as the court's rescission decision. "It's not a fighting letter." "What should concern you is a situation where there is a possibly - I wouldn't put it higher than that - there is a possibility that someone on the Constitutional Court leaked a judgment to influence you - this court." The matter will continue on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday has also been set aside for it. Erasmus is hearing the matter with Judges Mokgoatji Dolamo and Derek Wille.

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema lambasted Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Monday, saying he used the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture to further the interests of one African National Congress (ANC) faction against the other. ANC National Executive Committee member Tony Yengeni has written to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) asking for an investigation into Zondo's conduct for alleged breach of the Code of Judicial Conduct related to comments made in the fourth part of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture report. Zondo stated in the report that Cyril Ramaphosa's election as ANC president at the party's 54th national elective conference in December 2017, in Nasrec, had saved the party from more damage. Malema said judges are respected for their legal judgments and not their political views or their political activity. “We are fully behind Mr Tony Yengeni. We think chief justice Zondo is too forward and has got no limit. We think that he thinks that judges are untouchable that's why he has given himself a responsibility to enter even the political terrain. What do judges have to do or say with regards to the outcomes of political conferences of political parties? Judges must know the limit and Zondo has got no limit,” Malema said. He went on to accuse Zondo of being a factionalist that supports Ramaphosa's second term. “He is effectively saying if we do not elect Ramaphosa in this December conference we are going to be in trouble,” Malema said. He called on the JSC's conduct committee to ensure that Zondo is disciplined the same way former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng was disciplined when he descended into the terrain of politics. Public Protector's Impeachment Meanwhile, Malema explained that the Section 194 Committee conducting the impeachment inquiry against the Public Protector should postpone its work, as Busisiwe Mkhwebane is still involved with court applications. Mkhwebane is trying to halt impeachment proceedings against her. “It is important that every little aspect is satisfied so that the outcome of that Parliament process is not questioned by anyone. If the Public Protector is delaying deliberately trying to make sure that her term of office expires before Parliament could hear the matter, she is denying herself justice because through that process she can be able to deal with some of the allegations that are put against her,” Malema said. He said Mkhwebane must be taken on review and her reports must be set aside and they must be sustained by courts if the reports are properly researched and investigated.

Khadija Sharife is a senior investigator at Open Secrets. She is joined by fellow investigator, Luvano Ntuli, in unpacking the fourth report into state capture, as presented to the President recently by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Mpumelelo Zikalala- Legal Analyst See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Democratic Alliance has launched its "Zondo Dashboard" in response to the release of parts of the State Capture Commission Report. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has released four parts to his State Capture Reports with damning evidence against senior government officials and their families. Close to 1 500 people, including former President Jacob Zuma and Minister Gwede Mantashe, have been implicated in the rampant looting and capture of state-owned enterprises. The DA says it will provide weekly updates to the Zondo Dashboard for South Africans to have real-time information on any progress or lack thereof. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach, DA MP and Shadow Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

Clement speaks to Adv Dali Mpofu, the spokesperson of the Judicial Service Commission on the appointment of Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo as the Chief Justice of South Africa. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo takes up his new appointment on April 1st. President Ramaphosa made the announcement yesterday saying he intends on nominating Mandisa Maya as deputy chief justice. Political analyst at the Nelson Mandela University, Ongama Mtimka

Guest: Karyn Maughan Legal Journalist Expert legal Journalist Karyn Maughan brings her take on The Legal Practice Council (LPC) committee response to advocate Dali Mpofu for his contemptuous treatment of acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo during his shut up outburst at the State Capture Inquiry and ordered he be charged for unprofessional conduct.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Mbekezeli Benjamin | Researcher and Advocacy Officer at Judges Matter  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Chris Oxtoby,  a senior researcher from the Public Law Department at UCT See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ANC deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte told the party’s national officials that she believes former President Jacob Zuma should not appear before deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. She told the officials, dubbed the top six, during their meeting with Zuma last month that “it’s not like we can’t see what’s wrong with Zondo” and that if possible Zuma should appear before a different judge. This is contained in a leaked audio clip of the virtual meeting meeting last month. She told the meeting that she personally doesn’t support views that Zuma should appear before Zondo. “Going to the commission under Zondo, personally I believe that is absolutely not a good thing for Comrade Zuma to do given the personal, historical and mechanisms that exist between them,” Duarte said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's office has told the state capture commission's legal team that the President will wait until after Molefe has completed his testimony to respond to possible allegations Molefe made about him. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says President Cyril Ramaphosa is not compelled to respond to allegation made about him at this stage. Zondo confirmed that the 14 day period offered to implicated persons to respond following the delivery of the rule 3.3 notice has lapsed without a response from the President.

As members of the uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans' Association continue to camp outside former president Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead, his family says it's unlikely that the former President will change his views around Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. On Monday, the Zondo Commission said its secretary would approach the Constitutional Court to apply for a contempt order issued against Zuma. Zondo further stated, that the preferred option would be for a prison term. This comes after Zuma defied the Constitutional Court order that he testify. In response to this through a statement, Zuma says he will not stand before a process that he believes is biased against him.

The State Capture Commission yesterday heard arguments about what constitutes bias. The Commission was hearing the recusal application brought by former President Jacob Zuma against Deputy Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo. In his application, Zuma has claimed that he and Zondo are friends - a claim rejected by Zondo. Zuma has also claimed that he would not recieve a fair hearing given Zondo's statements and conduct with regards to earlier witnesses.

Former president Jacob Zuma has written to the state capture commission, requesting the chairperson deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo to recuse himself. In his formal notice to the commission, Zuma cites what he calls "historical personal, family and professional relations that ought to have been publicly disclosed" by Zondo. This follows Zondo's order that the former president must appear before the commission in November, as some witnesses who have testified mentioned his name.