Former President Jacob Zuma will no longer appear at the state capture commission of inquiry from November 11-15 as earlier announced.
Just hours after making the announcement, the inquiry issued another statement indicating that Zuma is “ill.”
“The Commission has been informed by the legal representatives of the former president, Mr JG Zuma, that he is ill and unable to attend the hearings scheduled for 11-15 November, 2019,” it said.
‘New dates to be communicated’
The statement added that “dates for further hearings will be communicated in due course.”
It’s unclear at this stage what the nature of Zuma’s illness is. This is the second postponement of his testimony after his corruption trial caused the first postponement in late October.
The former president was expected to shed more light on his links with the infamous Gupta brothers as well as the firing for Nhlanhla Nene and Pravin Gordhan.
Other “areas of interest” the inquiry identified for his testimony include the proposed nuclear deal with Russia and testimonies of ex-GCIS head Themba Maseko and former minister Barbara Hogan, among others.
In his last appearance at the inquiry in July, Zuma made sensational claims about certain African National Congress (ANC) leaders being apartheid spies.
He specifically mentioned former ministers Ngoako Ramatlhodi and Siphiwe Nyanda, who have since denied the claims.
Julius Malema reacts
Social media users were quick to react to the postponement of Zuma’s much-anticipated testimony.
Among them was Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema, who reacted on Twitter with apparent derision.
He replied to an EWN tweet on the matter with a meme of a laughing child.
However, others called for sensitivity. In response to Malema’s meme, @Mbuyi0310 wrote, “African morals out of the window.”