South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday resumed his much-anticipated testimony in front of a judicial inquiry into corruption, a month after his predecessor was jailed for ignoring the same investigators.
It is Ramaphosa’s second time appearing before the panel, which has been probing the alleged mass looting of state coffers during former president Jacob Zuma’s 2009-2018 tenure.
Zuma started serving a 15-month prison term last month for contempt of court after he refused to appear before the commission, which has been hearing evidence for three years.
Ramaphosa will be answering questions as both the former deputy president under Zuma and as the current head of state.
The inquiry is a result of a 2016 investigation by the country’s ombudswoman which found evidence that Zuma allowed the Guptas, a wealthy Indian migrant business family who won lucrative contracts with state companies, undue influence over the government.
Ramaphosa, who served as Zuma’s deputy president for four years from 2014 before succeeding him in February 2018, came to power vowing to fight corruption.
