Zuma talking spies to avoid tough questions on corruption: Nyanda

Former SA National Defence Force head Siphiwe Nyanda has vowed to ensure that former president Jacob Zuma accounts for the claims he has made at the state capture commission.

Nyanda told Sowetan that Zuma cannot be allowed to make spurious allegations and get away with them.

He was speaking after allegations made by Zuma that he had links to apartheid police during apartheid.

"I am taking advice on the matter. Of course he can't be let to say these things and get away with them. There will obviously be a response somehow, somewhat," Nyanda said.

Zuma also told the commission that former cabinet minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi was a spy recruited during his studies in Lesotho. Ramatlhodi responded by inviting Zuma to take a lie detector test with him in public before the commission.

According to Nyanda, Zuma was making claims to avoid dealing with questions around how corruption flourished under his presidency.

"He's trying to avoid the things that he's supposed to do before this commission which is to give evidence on the allegations against him," he said.

"Truth of the matter is he was going there to give evidence on state capture and the corruption that went on in government during his tenure in office and he's avoiding all that by throwing mud all over the place."

Nyanda was among those who were instrumental in making sure Zuma ascended to power at the 2007 ANC Polokwane elective conference.

He said Zuma was probably bitter because his tone had changed and he had called for Zuma to step down.

"I'm actually not surprised, because I'm one of the people who have consistently called on Jacob Zuma to step down, because I think he was toxic to ANC. I'm one of those who said he must step down and save the ANC. At the time we were calling for him to step down, I had no dislike of him. I had no personal desire to see him down. I have never had any hatred of Zuma, but I had love for my country, I had love for my organisation," said Nyanda.

Jacob Zuma to be asked about appointees to state-owned entities

Zuma is expected to be quizzed on whether he overstepped his mandate by instructing that appointments be made to the executives of various state-owned entities when he returns to the state capture inquiry for the third time on Wednesday.

The commission is expected to turn its line of questioning to evidence provided by former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan, who testified last year that Zuma unlawfully instructed her to appoint certain people into key executive positions at Eskom and Transnet.

Although he did not have the mandate to do so, Zuma is also said to have instructed her to withdraw information on certain issues in her reports to parliament.

In one example, Zuma is said to have insisted on the appointment of state capture-implicated Siyabonga Gama as Transnet's group executive. At the time, Gama was already facing charges over tender irregularities.

According to Hogan, Zuma also instructed that a process to replace then Eskom boss Jacob Maroga be stopped in 2012.

Zuma's second day before the commission ended when evidence leader Paul Pretorius began quizzing him on the normal processes of appointing executives at state-owned entities.

The former president's legal representative, Muzi Sikhakhane, asked for an early adjournment. Pretorius agreed, saying the day had been "strenuous".