#StateCaptureInquiry: Duduzane Zuma prepared to give evidence before commission
10 September 2018
Duduzane Zuma, son of former president Jacob Zuma, is now prepared to give evidence before the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture.
The head of the legal team, advocate Paul Pretorius, told commission chair Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that he received a letter from Duduzane Zuma's legal representative over the weekend.
The letter confirmed that Zuma was ready to testify on a statement submitted to the commission by former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas.
Jonas claimed the Guptas offered him R600m if he accepted the finance minister post. He also testified that Zuma drove him to the meeting with the Guptas, and that he was present during that meeting.
"It is good for the process of the commission that Mr Duduzane Zuma had made a decision that he will be prepared to give evidence. This immediately places him in the same position as those applicants seeking to give evidence," Zondo said.
On Thursday, advocate Dawie Joubert told the commission that Duduzane Zuma was subjected to unlawful arrest when he arrived in South Africa, for his culpable homicide case involving an accident in 2014.
Joubert said at the time that "no South African should be subjected to unlawful arrest". Joubert also represents Ajay and Rajesh Gupta.
Joubert was drawing a parallel between the experiences of the young Zuma and the fears of the Gupta brothers who have said they were willing to testify, but from a location outside South Africa, or a place agreed upon by themselves and the commission.
The testimony would be broadcast via videolink to South Africa.
"From evidence put forward by Jonas, it's clear he hasn't opened a case, yet Duduzane got arrested," Joubert argued.
He also told Zondo that in his evidence, Jonas had not indicated that he laid a criminal case against anyone, however, Duduzane Zuma was arrested.
Joubert said Zuma did not want to testify as he was currently facing the same matter before the courts.
"Because he currently is facing a parallel criminal charge in the Specialised Commercial (Crimes) court, he prefers if he needs to make an election under legal duress, rather than not to give evidence before this commission and take his chances. We will deal with the matter in a criminal charge he's facing," Joubert said at the time.
Previously, Jonas told the commission he had not pressed charges against Zuma or the Guptas because he did not trust crime-fighting agencies in the country.
