Johannesburg - Former president Jacob Zuma will attend a judicial inquiry into government graft during his
tenure even though he believes it is prejudiced against him, his
lawyer said.
The ANC forced Zuma to step
down in February 2018 after years in office marked by a
succession of scandals and economic decline.
Zuma had set up the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into
State Capture himself the previous month on the orders of the
public protector - a decision he made an
unsuccessful High Court appeal against.
"He is going to the commission as invited" from July 15-19,
Zuma's lawyer Daniel Mantsha said on Tuesday.
However, "our client remains of the view that the commission
is prejudiced against him and lacks the requisite impartiality,"
Mantsha wrote separately in a letter to the inquiry seen by
Reuters.
The letter did not specify if Zuma would testify or answer
questions. It described last week's invitation from the
commission for Zuma to attend - in which it said he had been
implicated in graft by at least nine witnesses - as part of a
"disinformation campaign".
The former president denies all allegations against him.
The inquiry's primary brief is to investigate allegations of
corruption, notably at state firms Eskom and South African
Airways, which are drowning in debt after years of
mismanagement.
It is reviewing accusations that three prominent businessmen
- brothers Atul, Ajay and Rajesh Gupta — unduly influenced Zuma
during his presidency about political appointments and the
awarding of state contracts.
The public protector found in 2017 that Zuma may have granted the
Gupta business family improper control of government functions,
including the appointment of ministers.
The Guptas also deny the accusations and say they have been
victims of a political attack. They have since closed their
South African operations, which cover mining, media and
technology, and moved back to India.
The family's South African lawyer, Rudi Krause, said his
clients had no comment.