Presidency explains latest on state capture review

Thursday, October 26, 2017

The Presidency on Thursday moved to explain why President Jacob Zuma abandoned a crucial part of the relief he sought in the state capture remedial action review.

At the end of court proceedings on Wednesday, President Zuma’s legal counsel told the High Court in Pretoria that they no longer wanted the report referred back to the Public Protector in the event that their application was to succeed.

“Given the President’s unequivocal undertaking to establish a Commission of Inquiry, it was a logical conclusion not to ask the court to refer the matter back to the Public Protector for further investigation in the event that the President was successful.

“The abandonment of the prayer to refer the matter back to the Public Protector will provide the President with the opportunity to act on what he had stated in Parliament, mindful that such a process must enjoy public confidence that its outcome is credible and legitimate,” the Presidency said on Thursday.

At the hearing of the review application into the lawfulness of the remedial action taken by the Public Protector in her State of Capture report issued on 2 November 2016, the President on Wednesday abandoned prayer 1.2 of his relief, which required the court to refer the matter back to the Public Protector in the event that the President was successful.

A prayer for relief is a portion of a complaint in which the plaintiff describes the remedies they seek from the court.

“The President has stated in Parliament that he was awaiting the finalisation of the review application in order to establish a commission of inquiry, not through dictation,” said the Presidency. – SAnews.gov.za