Zondo Commission: Zuma ruling ‘sends a profoundly important message’

The State Capture Commission has reacted to the Constitutional Court’s decision to impose a 15-month prison sentence on former president Jacob Zuma and has welcomed the judgement that was handed down by acting Deputy Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe on Tuesday morning, 29 June 2021.

“The commission views the judgment as one of great importance for the rule of law, the principle of equality before the law, the primacy of our Constitution and the protection of our constitutional democracy,” said commission secretary Itumeleng Mosala.

State Capture Commission on the historic ruling

The State Capture had approached the Constitutional Court, seeking a two-year jail sentence to be imposed on Jacob Zuma, following his refusal to appear before the proceedings – despite being ordered to do so by ANOTHER judgement handed down, also by the highest court in the land.

“In the commission’s view, the judgment sends a profoundly important message to all in our country that there are serious consequences for anyone who defies summonses and orders of courts, and that such conduct will not be tolerated, no matter what the person’s status is in society”

State Capture Commission’s secretary Itumeleng Mosala

At least 34 witnesses who appeared before the commission have implicated Zuma in corruption and other kinds of wrongdoing. The former president has been critical of both the commission and the country’s judiciary, claiming it is all part of a political campaign against him. This is despite Zuma having established the commission himself.

The State Capture Commission, headed by Deputy Chief Justice (DCJ) Raymond Zondo, has further said that it will continue with its work, knowing that the Constitutional Court has made it clear that summonses it has issued must be complied with and that orders of courts must be obeyed.

In the historic majority judgment, acting Deputy Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe found that Zuma had left the court with no choice but to send him to jail.

“The only appropriate sanction is a direct, unsuspended order of imprisonment. The alternative is to effectively sentence the legitimacy of the judiciary to inevitable decay,” Khampepe said.

Zuma now has five days to hand himself over to the South African Police Service (SAPS) at Nkandla police station or Johannesburg Central police station.