South Africa’s Parliament criticized Thursday Chief Justice Raymond Zondo for his remarks on the inability of the legislative institution to prevent state capture and widespread corruption in public institutions.
Speaking in Parliament on “Post-State Capture in South Africa”, Zondo said that Parliament had yet to implement the recommendations of the reports of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture during former President Jacob Zuma’s two terms in office and predicted that it would fail to stop the large-scale corruption rife in the country.
In a 5,000-page report, the Zondo Commission, named after its chairman, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, revealed how almost every arm of the state was stifled and allowed to fail by the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC).
The report also shows how wealthy businessmen, the Gupta brothers, attempted to influence political and economic decisions in a process known as “state capture”.
In response, Parliament hit back shortly afterward expressing “shock and strong objection” to Zondo’s statement, ruling that “It is inappropriate for the Chief Justice, representing one of the branches of the State, to engage in public attacks on Parliament.
The National Assembly, therefore, believes that the Chief Justice should use “established channels to respond to any concerns he may have regarding his implementation of the Judicial Commission’s recommendations”.