Two weeks ago Jacob Zuma issued a statement in which he asserted that “the Commission Into Allegations of State Capture can expect no further cooperation from me in any of their processes going forward”, defiantly adding that “if this stance is considered to be a violation of their law, then let their law take its course”.
Zuma also stated that he was prepared to go to jail for his defiance of the law.
But on Monday, 15 February 2021, his lawyers while confirming that Zuma will refuse to obey the summons claimed that this “should not be construed to suggest any defiance of a legal process”. It is difficult to reconcile the two statements, suggesting that Zuma is hedging his bets, signalling defiance of the law when it is politically convenient, while claiming not to be defiant of the law when it is legally advantageous.