Public Protector meets with the President

Public Protector Adv. Thuli Madonsela on Thursday met with President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria as part of her investigation into the alleged involvement of the Gupta family in the dismissal and appointment of Cabinet Ministers and Members of Boards of Directors of State Owned Enterprises (SOEs), consequent influence by the Gupta family on improper and possibly corrupt influence in the award of state contracts and licenses to companies linked to the family.

The meeting was cordial. For the greater part of the four-hour meeting, the President’s legal representative argued that the investigation be deferred to the incoming Public Protector, who he advised had been announced today, on the grounds that there wasn’t enough time to conclude the matter properly and that there was no reason for the investigation to be prioritised.

The president and his advisers further advised that the President had not had time to prepare answers with legal advice, given the investigation timelines.

The meeting acknowledged that the President had been advised in writing by the Public Protector about the allegations made against him, including his suspected breach of the Executive Ethics Code on 22 March 2016.

After lengthy deliberations and taking into account that the case is a part-heard matter, it was agreed that the President would be given a set of questions and to answer same through an affidavit and to meet again with the Public Protector and provide answers on matters needing clarity.

Statement issued by the Office of the Public Protector, 6 October 2016