COSATU Statement on the Pretoria High Court's state capture judgement against President Jacob Zuma
13 December 2017
The Congress of South African Trade Unions has noted and welcomes the Pretoria High Court’s entire judgment in President Jacob Zuma's application to review and set aside former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's State of Capture report and the inquiry she called for
We are happy that the court has helped clarify the president on this urgent and critical matter for our country. Hopefully , he now better understands the limits of his own powers and the principle of separation of powers in general. In his last parliamentary question and answer session, the President promised to appoint the judicial enquiry as soon as he is clarified by the court.
We now call on him to keep his word and make sure that we have an independent judicial commission of inquiry into corporate state capture to help dig deeper and expose the decay that has crippled both our economy and our country.
We also welcome the decision by the court to instruct the president to pay from his own pocket the legal costs of his court challenge. The President has become a vexatious litigant with a penchant of using taxpayer’s money without care on these many cases.
COSATU calls for the state capture inquiry to be set up soon so that the thieves and the swindlers, who have stolen from the poor can be sent to jail , where they belong. We also urge the ANC delegates to the 54th National Conference to elect Cde Cyril Ramaphosa, leader with a clear commitment to fight both State capture and Corruption.
Issued by Sizwe Pamla, National Spokesperson, COSATU, 13 December 2017
