Court hears urgent bid to halt release of State Capture report

The civil rights movement will make arguments that the 3-part report should not be handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa after he appeared before the inquiry himself to give testimony last year.  

He appeared in both his capacity as then Deputy President of the state and head of the ANC’s deployment committee. 

DiA chairperson, Thabo Mtsweni believes Ramaphosa’s appearance at the commission will likely take away his impartiality when recommendations are put before him to act against those implicated in capturing the State and state-owned enterprises.  

Acting Chief Justice, Raymond Zondo will hand over the first report on Tuesday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. 

“This is our last bid because we’ve written numerous letters to the commission. The first letter was January 2021, to which the State Capture Commission did not reply. We wrote another letter in December last and again the State Capture Commission did not reply,” says Mtsweni. 

Mtsweni adds Deputy President David Mabuza or Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane would be better placed to receive the report.  

“We are hoping that before the release of the report, it will be successful.”

Each of the reports will be made public as soon as Ramaphosa receives them.

But Mtsweni says this is little comfort to the organisation. 

“We feel that the person who should spearhead the process of making sure that the recommendations are implemented is not someone implicated in the same report.” 

Advocate Thembeka Ngcukaitobi is among the commission’s legal team that will defend the release of the report set to take place after 3pm.