Cape Town – Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has faced criticism from Parliament for his remarks about its failure to prevent history from repeating itself regarding state capture in South Africa.
Zondo stated during a CSIR briefing on Thursday, 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”.
The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution calls for the recommendations of the Zondo Commission to be implemented. Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has ruffled Parliament’s feathers because of the slow implementation of his recommendations. #DStv403 #eNCA pic.twitter.com/WuOXEjxiGo
— eNCA (@eNCA) June 23, 2023
According to The Citizen, Parliament responded with “shock and strong objection”, calling Zondo’s comments inappropriate and emphasising that he should have used established channels to address concerns.
“It is inappropriate for the Chief Justice, representing one of the arms of state, to engage in public attacks on parliament. We note that the attacks are also directed at the executive in so far as the current policy position of the electoral system is concerned,” said Parliament.
It said that Zondo needed to use “the established channels to address any concerns he may have regarding its implementation of the commission’s recommendations”.
National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and National Council of Provinces Chairperson Amos Masondo have since made a formal request for an immediate meeting with Zondo concerning the matter, News24 reported.
“This meeting is intended to address matters of concern between the judiciary and the legislature, specifically in relation to recent public statements made by the Chief Justice regarding Parliament’s role in the implementation of the Judicial Commission into State Capture, Corruption, and Fraud in the Public Sector, Including Organs of State,” the report quoted Parliamentary spokesperson Moloto Mothapo as saying in a statement.
“Recognising the importance of maintaining a healthy working relationship between the judiciary and the legislature, the presiding officers have sought this meeting as a platform for constructive dialogue.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
