South African President Jacob Zuma will probably mount a legal challenge to a report by the graft ombudsman that calls for the establishment of a judicial inquiry into allegations that the Gupta family influenced cabinet appointments and state contracts, the ruling party’s secretary-general said.
In her 355-page report, former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela gave a directive that Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng name the judge who would chair the commission. While the African National Congress welcomes the establishment of the body, Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe said, Madonsela shouldn’t have ordered how it should be established. With past commissions, the president appointed the presiding officer.
