State Capture: Imminent release of preliminary report spooks Zuma & Co.
13 October 2016
The Democratic Alliance taking note of a series of coordinated attacks on the Public Protector and a ploy to frustrate the probe into State Capture, looks forward to the release of the preliminary report, which appears to have spooked the probe’s main protagonists.
Last week, President Jacob Zuma demanded to cross-examine witnesses and interrogate documents. This demand came at the eleventh hour despite the President being made well aware of the probe as far back as 22 March 2016, after the Public Protector informed him of the complaint laid by the Democratic Alliance Leader, Mmusi Maimane, on 18 March 2016.
To date, President Zuma has not answered a series of questions posed to him by the Public Protector citing not having time to prepare. This ploy is all too familiar. The President employed a similar tactic in order to frustrate Adv. Madonsela’s Nkandla investigation.
Despite the pronouncements by the ANC Chief Whip in Parliament that the ANC erred in their posture towards the Public Protector in the Nkandla saga, it is clear that the ANC at Luthuli House is determined to make a similar transgression in the State Capture probe.