Cape Town – Mmusi Maimane, the leader of Build One South Africa (BOSA), has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, urging Parliament to stop its behaviour towards Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
This comes after Zondo expressed concern that Parliament was not implementing the recommendations of the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into state capture.
Zondo stated during a CSIR briefing on Thursday last week, which delved into a post-state capture South Africa, that Parliament had not implemented recommendations from the commission reports and predicted another attempt at capturing the state would be unsuccessful.
On June 22, 2022, the final of a series of damning reports from a four-year investigation into corruption under Zuma’s presidency was handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Yet to date, no significant progress has been made in prosecuting those involved.
“A year is a reasonable time to reflect”, on the work and progress of the commission, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo told a meeting organised by a research think tank in Pretoria.
“I have seen nothing that has changed,” said Zondo, who was the lead investigator of a judiciary inquiry, AFP reported.
Zondo said state corruption placed the democracy of the continent’s most industrialised country “at risk”.
In the cease-and-desist letter, Maimane accused Parliament of holding private meetings and making comments that amounted to intimidation and harassment of the chief justice.
“I am writing on behalf of my client to demand the immediate cessation of your private meetings and media comments which are tantamount to intimidation and harassment of the office of Chief Justice Raymond Zondo,” Maimane said.
‼️Media Statement‼️#HandsOffZondo: @BuildOneSA are serving Parliament with Cease-and-Desist letter.
We cannot have parliamentary leaders using a bully pulpit to intimidate the Chief Justice. pic.twitter.com/jrX1u3ABIf
— Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) June 30, 2023
He demanded an immediate halt to these private meetings and called for future communication with Zondo to be conducted transparently and appropriately.
He said the meetings “could also potentially lead to a breach of public trust and adversely impact the integrity of both Parliament and Judiciary”.
“We insist on an immediate halt to these private meetings. We ask that any future communication with Chief Justice Zondo be conducted in a transparent and appropriate manner, as per the rules and regulations of our democratic institution.
“We also have noted an increase in public criticisms of the office of the chief justice by the speaker of Parliament and other leaders of the governing party. These comments in the frequency they have been made suggest a coordinated campaign to discredit and besmirch the office of the chief justice. They are nothing short of harassment,” Maimane said.
Maimane warned of legal action if his demands were not met, stating that they would take necessary steps to protect the integrity of democracy.
“If this demand is not complied with, we are prepared to take all necessary legal steps to protect the integrity of our democracy, including seeking an injunction and/or pursuing litigation.
“We strongly recommend you consult with a legal professional regarding this serious matter. This letter is not exhaustive of our client’s rights, remedies, claims, or defences, all of which are expressly reserved,” Maimane said.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
