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Parliament slams Chief Justice over comments on state capture
Zondo said parliament would not be able to stop a repeat of state capture.
The Jacob Zuma Foundation is challenging the appointment of Judge Raymond Zondo as Chief Justice. Photo: Gallo Images/Veli Nhlapo
Parliament has slammed Chief Justice Raymond Zondo over his remarks about its inability to stop history from repeating itself regarding state capture.
During a CSIR briefing on Thursday, which delved into a post-state capture South Africa, Zondo said parliament had still not implemented recommendations from the commission reports and predicted it would fail to stop another attempt at capturing the state.
Parliament fired back not long thereafter, expressing “shock and strong objection” to Zondo’s sentiments.
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Zondo comments ‘inappropriate’
“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.
Parliament feels the Chief Justice needed to use “the established channels to address any concerns he may have regarding its implementation of the commission’s recommendations”.
“It is not the place of a Chief Justice to make such public remarks unless and until he is required to adjudicate on a matter with impartiality.”
Parliament further slammed Zondo, saying he undermined the principle of separation of powers.
“Each branch of government is required to respect the roles and responsibilities of the others. Chief Justice Zondo’s public attack on parliament encroaches on this doctrine.”
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Parliament wants space
Parliament said it needed space to fulfil its obligations and reiterated it was implementing the recommendations put forth by the commission.
“We want to emphasise that parliament, through the diligent efforts of the programming and rules committees, has taken decisive steps to address the recommendations of the State Capture Commission.”
Parliament said it is developing rules and guidelines to enhance its oversight processes.
It has assured the public that several other initiatives are being explored or implemented to hold the executive accountable based on the outcomes of the commission.
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“The rules committee has decided that quarterly reports on the progress of these initiatives must be tabled. These decisive steps taken by parliament demonstrate its dedication to implementing the recommendations of the State Capture Commission.”
Parliament said had Zondo reached out to it with his concerns, “he would have been comprehensively apprised of all the ongoing work”.
