Madonsela goes ahead with state capture probe despite Zuma's plea
Advocate Thuli Madonsela is steaming ahead with the probe into allegations of state capture by the Gupta family despite this being her last week of seven years in the office of the Public Protector.
President Jacob Zuma's legal team yesterday proposed Madonsela drop the inquest for now as the president would like to interview the people she had spoken to himself.
Madonsela interviewed Zuma last Thursday and the objections raised by the Presidency included a complaint that he understood the meeting to be a briefing. The president says he had been given two days to prepare for the session.
Also, that the questions she put to him went beyond what he was led to expect.
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However, Madonsela's Office responded to the statement last night saying President Zuma was afforded a proper opportunity to tender his evidence since 22 March.
Put forward by the Democratic Alliance, the civil servant was urged to probe allegations that the wealthy Indian-born family had influenced executive decisions.
8. His lawyer raised a request to question witnesses for the first time on Thursday, October 06, 2016 when he was asking...
— Public Protector SA (@PublicProtector) October 10, 2016
President Jacob Zuma requests Public Protector to provide names of witnesses interviewed & transcripts of testimony. https://t.co/mefSgMEPx8
— PresidencyZA (@PresidencyZA) October 10, 2016
6. The PP would like to report that President Jacob Zuma was afforded a proper opportunity to tender his evidence since 22/03/2016
— Public Protector SA (@PublicProtector) October 10, 2016
7. President Zuma was on Saturday, October 01, 2016, given all copies of evidence implicating him.
— Public Protector SA (@PublicProtector) October 10, 2016
9.(cont)... for a deferment of the investigation to the next Public Protector.
— Public Protector SA (@PublicProtector) October 10, 2016