South Africa’s Commission of Inquiry into State Capture has “gone too far” in allegedly probing bank accounts of former president Jacob Zuma’s children, the former leader has said.
Zuma said in a statement that the inquiry’s attempts to target his children by secretly investigating their bank accounts smacked of “utter cowardice” on the state body.
“My children were not in government and should not be dragged into battles designed to destroy me,” Zuma said.
He said his children, if they have a case to answer, should be informed like everyone else so that they could prepare their own defence – but should not hear the reports from the press as they has been the case.
The former leader pleaded with law enforcement agencies, media, banks and the Commission of Inquiry “to leave my children alone.”
One of Zuma’s children, Duduzane Zuma, was a director in a local firm run by the controversial Gupta brothers who are at the centre of the state capture storm involving the alleged control of the state apparatus by individuals linked to the former president.
Duduzane and the Guptas are said to have real estate property in Dubai – where the India-born brothers have taken refuge after they fled a dragnet in the country.
Duduzane has appeared before the commission to defend his father, telling the panel the former president was innocent of any wrong doing during his time in office.
Zuma, who has appeared before the commission once, is expected to return to the witness box in November under protest that the commission was biased against him.
His alleged involvement in state capture, which took place under his nine-year rule which ended in February 2018, was the stuff of regular headlines amid accusations of rampant corruption.
The commission was set up following a recommendation of the country’s Ombudsman to probe the origins of the rampant corruption and those involved in it during Zuma’s rule.
According to the inquiry, there are 34 witnesses who have named Zuma as the alleged mastermind of their suspect actions in state capture that crippled the country’s state-owned enterprises like power supplier Eskom and Prasa, the railroad network.
NM/jn/APA