Zondo declines to recuse himself as state capture chair
Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, has dismissed Jacob Zuma's recusal application.
He delivered that ruling moments ago at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture.
The former president filed an affidavit citing a long-standing personal history with the Commission Chairperson, and alleged bias.
Zondo said he doesn't share a personal relationship with Zuma.
He read out parts of the statement that Zuma submitted, earlier.
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"Given our personal relations, the background of which is set up fully below, Deputy Chief Justice Zondo declined to chair the commission whose terms of reference indicated that I was to be the main implicated person," he read.
"In my absence, the chairperson has made several comments whose effects is the suggestion that I am already guilty of state capture."
"Many of these comments carried with them a miscellany on insinuations about my involvement in the unlawful capture of our state while I was president."
Zuma's counsel has asked to be excused from the state capture commission.
Advocate Muzi Sikhakhane says his instructions now are to review Zondo's decision. "And then so far as the issue of you becoming a judge in your own matter which on its own is a ground that Mr Zuma mentioned.
"We have also been instructed to launch a complaint about you in that regard to the judicial service commission in respect of the issue about how you made yourself both a witness and a judge," he says.
