Former public protector Thuli Madonsela says former President Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane is lying about her failure to give him an opportunity to respond to the damaging state capture claims against him.
Her investigators even offered to travel to Dubai to speak to him, she said on Monday, in response to testimony before Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
Duduzane hit out at Madonsela on Monday for releasing her State of Capture report, which led to the formation of the Zondo inquiry, without interviewing him.
He had been asked by the commission’s evidence leader, advocate Phillip Mokoena, why former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas would lie about the Gupta family allegedly trying to bribe and threaten him into taking over the finance minister post.
“I have no idea. I do not want to jump into speculation ... but I think the main question that should be posed is why didn’t anyone ask for my version?” he said.
“What I’m saying is: it’s the first time I’m being asked these questions ... I was not given an opportunity by the public protector.”
Zuma jnr is a business partner of the Gupta family, who are at the centre of allegations that key officials within the Jacob Zuma administration were “captured” to serve their private interests – and stand accused of running a parallel government designed to further their businesses.
While Duduzane said he had been served with a subpoena to appear before Madonsela, he maintained he had been out of the country at the time and had agreed to speak with her upon his return.
“But then, the report is wrapped and I don’t have a chance to give my version of events.
“From my side, I also need to ask why was my view or version not requested at the time?”
But Madonsela said Duduzane’s account was simply not true.
“Mr Duduzane Zuma is not being honest,” she said.
“He knows that he was invited to an interview. He was also sent a section 7(9) notice [which informed him that he had been implicated in the state capture investigation].
“He and two of the Gupta brothers took off to Dubai and claimed they’d be there for three weeks. We asked if they could be interviewed via Skype or we could send a team and they said they could not coordinate with their lawyers.
“The oldest of the Gupta brothers, Ajay, chose to come and was given an interview, which also dealt with the Jonas- Zuma meeting at the Gupta house.”
Duduzane’s attorney, Rudi Krause, did not respond to requests for comment on Madonsela’s accusations.
Times Select’s sister publication, Business Day, reported that it had seen a number of letters sent to the public protector’s office by Duduzane Zuma’s lawyer at the time, Gert van der Merwe, in which he asks for a date on which Zuma can appear to give evidence, and then makes it clear that he will not be available on the dates offered, which were in mid-October 2016.
Madonsela’s term concluded at the end of October 2016, and she has come under fire for seeking to release her State of Capture report before she left office – from, among others, former president Zuma and the Guptas.