Former president Jacob Zuma is set to continue his testimony at the Zondo Commission on Tuesday
This comes after a bombshell day of testimony from Zuma, in which he made several bold claims
These included his allegation that former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Nelson Mandela were also close with the Guptas, as well as his claim that "suicide bombers" plotted to kill him at a Maskandi event earlier this year
Now, anticipation is high over what else Zuma may speak about it while on the stand
The Zondo Commission has adjourned for the day and is set to continue at 10 am on Wednesday morning.
The day featured more explosive testimony from Jacob Zuma, from allegations of death threats against the former president to assertions that he had no recollection of any meetings with Vytjie Mentor.
Indeed, much of the latter half of the day was spent focusing on Mentor. Zuma says that he is "positive" that he never had a meeting with Mentor, despite Mentor claiming to have met with Zuma on multiple occasions.
In particular, Zuma denies Mentor's allegation that he was present at the Gupta's Saxonwold home at the time that Mentor paid a visit to the residence. This is significant, because it was at this meeting in Saxonwold that Mentor says the Guptas offered her a ministerial position if she helped them pursue their agenda.
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Jul 16 15:07 PM
Live Stream: Zuma says he has no recollection of meeting with Mentor
The Zondo Commission has heard considerable back-and-forth concerning whether or not Jacob Zuma did in fact know former ANC MP, Vytjie Mentor.
Mentor hs claimed to have met with Zuma on several occasions, including during parliamentary caucuses.
However, Zuma claims to have no recollection of these meetings. Raymond Zondo asked the former president if it was possible that that these meetings did take place but that Zuma merely could not remember them.
In response, Zuma said that he was "positive" that the meetings never took place.
Evidence leader Paul Pretorius also questioned Zuma concerning a presidential statement about Mentor released in 2016. In the statement, the presidency rubbished allegations made by Mentor about the Guptas.
Zuma told the Commission that the statement was correct, although he maintains that he did not know who Mentor was.
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Jul 16 14:20 PM
Live Stream: Major take-aways from morning session of Zuma's testimony
The morning session of Jacob Zuma's testimony has concluded, and it has provided the Commission - and South Africa at large - with no shortage of take-aways.
Indeed, Zuma's testimony got off to an explosive start with his announcement that he had received death threats over the phone on Monday evening.
Additionally, evidence leader, Paul Pretorius, pressed Zuma on the firing of former GCIS head, Themba Maseko. This led to tensions, with Zuma's lawyers saying that Pretorius was "cross-examining" the former president.
Zuma's representatives claimed that Zuma had not prepared to be cross-examined and so objected to Pretorius's line of questioning.
The commission took a tea break to address this issue and tensions appeared to be calmed somewhat.
Two of the most significant statements Zuma made during the morning session are his assertion that he played no role in the dismissal of Maseko, as well as his claim that the Guptas never spoke to him about ministerial appointments.
Zuma's testimony continues.
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Jul 16 13:04 PM
Live Stream: Zuma claims he had "nothing to do" with Guptas' ministerial offer to Mentor
Jacob Zuma says that he did consult some individuals before making his infamous Cabinet reshuffle, but says that the Guptas were not among them.
This came after evidence leader Paul Pretorius suggested that former ANC MP, Vytjie Mentor, lost her job because she did not help the Guptas advance their agenda.
Mentor says that she was offered a ministerial position if she complied with the Guptas' request for her help in shutting down the South African Airways Mumbai route..
Mentor is among several Zondo Commission witnesses who implicated Zuma in their testimony. Mentor also said that she saw Zuma come out of a meeting at the Guptas' Saxonwold home.
However, Zuma said that he had "nothing to do with" Ajay Gupta's meeting with Mentor, nor with the ministerial position he allegedly offered her.
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Jul 16 12:43 PM
Live Stream: Zuma denies Guptas had influence over state positions
Jacob Zuma has told the Zondo Commission that the Guptas did not have any control over whom he appointed to government positions.
This comes after evidence leader, Paul Pretorius, said that previous witness, Themba Maseko, alleged that he was dismissed because he refused to comply with the Guptas' request to allocate some of government's advertising budget to Gupta-owned media outlet, ANN7.
Magashule added that he has served in the ANC in a variety of capacities since its unbanning. As a result, he says he might know some of the stories that Zuma is referring to.
Former cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister, Des van Rooyen, also weighed in on Zuma's allegations, saying, "If these allegations are true, we can’t continue having comrades who worked as informers among ourselves."
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Jul 16 11:53 AM
Live Stream: Zuma says he was involved with Gupta media outlets only in his "personal capacity"
Jacob Zuma has denied being involved with the Guptas' media networks in his capacity as president, only as a private citizen.
Zuma claims that his involvement with Gupta media outlets ANN7 and The New Age was not a "government project".
As a result, he says he did not consult his ministers or other government officials before becoming involved.
"This was a private project by business people," Zuma said.
When Raymond Zondo asked for clarity over the matter, Zuma stressed that he had spoken to the Guptas about these media outlets only in his personal capacity, not as president of the country or as president of the ANC.
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Jul 16 11:33 AM
Live Stream: Zuma's lawyer has spat with Zondo over "cross-examination"
Thabani Masuku, a lawyer for Jacob Zuma, has complained that evidence leader Paul Pretorius is "cross-examining" the former president, and that Zuma had not prepared for this.
As a result, Zuma's lawyers object to Pretorius's line of questioning.
Additionally, Masuku claims that Zuma has not not been given a chance to make a statement as other witnesses have.
The commission has since taken a break for tea and is set to resume proceedings shortly, Briefly.co.za has gathered.
During the break, ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule reportedly said that Zuma told the party that he would be making statements at the inquiry which the ANC would not be pleased about.
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Jul 16 11:07 AM
Live Stream: Zuma says "they called last night and said they would kill me"
The second day of Jacob Zuma's Zondo Commission testimony got off to an explosive start, with the former president telling the inquiry that he received a phone call on Monday night containing death threats.
Zuma says that his personal assistant received a call from an unknown source between 7pm and 8pm on Monday night.
The caller allegedly said he would kill Zuma and his family.
Zuma added that threats were also made against his advocate, Muzi Sikhakhane, according to The Citizen.
This is not the first death threat Zuma has revealed to the Zondo Commission. On Monday, he described an alleged plot involving "suicide bombers" sent to kill him at a Maskandi event in Durban earlier this year.
