By Richard Calland
President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to appear before the Zondo Commission of inquiry into corruption in South Africa comes at a delicate time. A great deal hinges on it. When a sitting President appears before a Judicial Commission of Inquiry it is always a significant moment.
Sometimes
a Commission will be concerned with a failure or with misconduct that has taken
place under the particular head of government's own watch. But other times, it
may be that it is the mistakes of a previous administration or President that
are under scrutiny.
Ramaphosa's case is unusual as it is neither one nor the other. The Commission's terms of reference are focused clearly on events that took place while Ramaphosa's immediate predecessor ,Jacob Zuma, was President , between 2009 and 2018. Ramaphosa was elected president in February 2018.
