ZONDO Commission chairman Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo admitted he was romantically involved with former president Jacob Zuma’s sister-in-law.
In a statement today, Zondo said he decided to address clarify this matter once and for all.
This after he received media requests for comment on the alleged “family” relations.
“In the mid 1990s - that is about 25 years ago - when I was in my 30s and still in private practice as a lawyer, I got into a relationship with a certain woman out of which a child was born.
“That relationship ended during the 1990s. Unbeknown to anybody at the time, that woman’s sister, Ms Thobeka Madiba, got married to Mr Jacob Zuma many years after that relationship ended,” he said.
He said to his knowledge, Zuma had no relationship with Madiba in the mid 1990s.
Zuma, with the help of his lawyer Eric Mabuza, wrote a letter on 28 September wanting Zondo to recuse himself.
He believed Zondo was biased against him and raised “historical family” relations between them as one source of the alleged bias.
Zondo said he decided not to respond to or comment on any of the allegations as it was said that Zuma was going to lodge an application for his recusal.
He said he thought he would respond to Zuma’s allegations properly once that application had been lodged.
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“That Mr Zuma happened to marry the sister of a woman I had a relationship with has never had any bearing on the execution of my judicial functions in the many matters involving Mr Zuma.
“It does not have any bearing on the execution of my duties as chairman of the commission. Indeed, in none of the many matters involving Mr Zuma in which I have sat in the past has Mr Zuma ever expressed any complaint or concern nor has he ever brought an application for my recusal,” said Zondo.
He said he would not at this stage address any other allegations made in Zuma’s letter.
“I will deal with them if and when Mr Zuma’s application for my recusal is lodged,” said Zondo.
