DA files perjury charges against Zuma
14 December 2017
Johannesburg - The DA has filed perjury charges against President Jacob Zuma after Wednesday's damning state capture judgment.
DA spokespersons Refiloe Ntsekhe and Phumzile van Damme spent almost an hour with Rosebank police shortly after DA leader Mmusi Maimane hosted a press briefing on the party's way forward.
Ntsekhe told journalists the party decided to file charges against Zuma after a full Bench of the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria delivered its scathing ruling against him.
The charges relate to an answering affidavit Zuma had filed in the case in which he submitted that, should it later transpire that former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela produce a final report without affording him his right to administrative action, the report should be released.
However, in two subsequent affidavits, the president changed his tune and claimed that the first affidavit contained a typing error and that it was his intention to say that the report should not be released.
Ntsheke said: "While the court chose not to make any findings on whether perjury had been committed as this was not their task on the day, it ruled out the possibility of any typing errors which might have excused the president's inconsistencies."
She argued that Zuma had falsified his statement and that he knew Madonsela's report had been finalised before he submitted his answering affidavit.
In Wednesday's landmark judgment, a full Bench of the court, led by Judge President Dunstan Mlambo, dismissed Zuma's application against Madonsela's report, ruling that he must institute a commission of inquiry into state capture within 30 days.
The commission is to be headed by a judge appointed by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, as per the "binding" remedial actions put forward by Madonsela.
In the judgment, Zuma was held personally liable for the costs of his legal challenge, as well as his aborted application to halt the report from being released.
The court found that Madonsela's recommended remedial actions after her investigation into state capture were wise, necessary, rational and appropriate.
