Dali Mpofu up for the Unified Democratic Movement (UDM) and Congress of the People (COPE) speaks during a hearing in the case of the public protector vs the President of the Republic of South Africa at the High Court in, Pretoria on November 1, 2016. (Photo: HERMAN VERWEY/AFP/Getty Images)
Dali Mpofu up for the Unified Democratic Movement (UDM) and Congress of the People (COPE) speaks during a hearing in the case of the public protector vs the President of the Republic of South Africa at the High Court in, Pretoria on November 1, 2016. (Photo: HERMAN VERWEY/AFP/Getty Images)
As Jacob Zuma desperately tries to hand himself an umpteenth ‘get out of jail card’, his application to review the decision to investigate state capture hasn’t exactly gone his way…
Advocate Dali Mpofu took the courtroom this morning, and presented his case for an immediate investigation in state capture. He also claimed it was possible this could begin before the ANC’s December electives.
Zuma had been hoping to use the court intervention to hold off an inquiry into his shady dealings with the Gupta family. However, strong cases against this have been put forward, but Mpofu’s really takes the biscuit for sheer ferocity.
He accused Jacob Zuma of using ‘legal gymnastics’ to squirm his way out of his responsibilities, and claimed that the president and his son were a ‘conniving’ pair:
#StateCapture: Mpofu: “Once a president and his son can connive with his son to appoint ministers…”@TeamNews24
— Amanda Khoza (@MandaKhoza) October 25, 2017
#StateCapture: Mpofu: “We can kiss the democracy goodbye…” @TeamNews24
— Amanda Khoza (@MandaKhoza) October 25, 2017
#StateCapture: Mpofu: “If indeed Guptas knew about a cabinet reshuffle a week before it happened, only Zuma could have told them”@TeamNews24
— Amanda Khoza (@MandaKhoza) October 25, 2017
#StateCapture: Mpofu says “the country is burning and there is no time to seek legal clarification,” on the part of Zuma. @TeamNews24
— Amanda Khoza (@MandaKhoza) October 25, 2017
Jacob Zuma is also currently embroiled in another ‘great escape’ from justice. However, he is already making representations for himself in the spy tapes case. He’s implicated in a multi-billion rand fraud racket that he’s evaded prosecution for over the last decade.
The teflon-coated president has squeezed his way out of tight spots before, but state capture is something that really connected with the public. The treasure trove of leaked Gupta emails heavily implicated the president in state capture, and gave South African citizens unprecedented access to previously classified information.
The review continues at the North Gauteng High Court.