The Star
Senior Durban advocate Guido Penzhorn has confirmed, for the first time, that he was asked personally by President Jacob Zuma in February to head the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).
Durban – Senior Durban advocate Guido Penzhorn has confirmed, for the first time, that he was asked personally by President Jacob Zuma in February to head the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).
But, addressing delegates at the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners in Boksburg on Monday, Penzhorn said that he had heard nothing more and had “simply got on with my practice”.
Media speculation was that Penzhorn had got the job but Zuma wanted to announce this along with the appointment of Pinetown magistrate Stanley Gumede as the new national director of public prosecutions.
On Monday night Presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj said Zuma was still considering the appointments.
“The matter is still receiving the attention of President Jacob Zuma,” he said.
“It would be inappropriate to disclose the names of the candidates that are under consideration, in order to protect their privacy as well as the integrity of the process and the institution,” he said.
Gumede’s appointment hit a snag when it was revealed that prosecutors had laid complaints against him with the Magistrate’s Commission which were still unresolved.
Gumede confirmed to reporters that he had been approached by Zuma’s lawyer, Michael Hulley, and had been offered the job by Zuma himself, but Penzhorn has declined to be interviewed on the matter.
On Monday, he broke his silence. In a prepared speech, he praised Zuma for inviting “an independent outsider” to head the unit which “speaks volumes of his commitment to eradicating corruption in state institutions”.
He had accepted the job to “put something back” and use the expertise he had acquired as the prosecutor in the Lesotho Highlands Water Project corruption cases. He believed he could do so without interference and with professional independence.
“However, since then, I have heard nothing from the Department of Justice, which is supposed to give effect to my appointment.
It is the president’s prerogative to appoint whoever he wants… and I wish him or her all the very best in further moulding the SIU into the invaluable tool it can be in the fight against corruption.”
Meanwhile, Gumede’s legal team dealing with the seven charges of misconduct against him had a setback when its request for further documents was declined by the Magistrate’s Commission.
Gumede’s team is made up of attorney Thami Ndlovu and advocates Jimmy Howse and and Vinay Gajoo SC. They met on Friday to discuss how to respond to the charges and had asked for further documents.
But on Monday they were told that the head of the commission had declined their request, saying they were not entitled to them.
The Star and Sapa
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