#StateCapture: Court tells Zuma to appoint commission of inquiry

Johannesburg - The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria delivered another scathing judgment when it dismissed President Jacob Zuma's application to review former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's state of capture report.

Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela recommended that a commission of inquiry should be established by President Jacob Zuma, but said that the Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng should appoint the judge to chair it. 

Zuma challenged this as he  believes he,as the President, is mandated to pick the judge to chair the commission. 

Earlier the court ruled that Zuma be personally held liable for the costs of his court bid to interdict the release of former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's State Capture report.

Delivering a unanimous judgment on behalf of a full bench of high court judges, Judge President Dunstan Mlambo said the stance adopted by Zuma in 2016 on the status of the report was "completely unreasonable".

Mlambo said there was no basis for Zuma's application to interdict the release of the report.

"The president's persistence to continue with the application [for an interdict against the public protector] amounts to abuse of judicial process," said Mlambo. "He is ordered to personally pay the costs." 

IOL and ANA