South African President Jacob Zuma, under scrutiny for his friendship with a wealthy business family, has asked an anti-corruption watchdog not to report her findings until he has had a chance to question other witnesses, his office said on Monday, Reuters reported. Public Protector Thuli Madonsela is due to release her findings by Friday, the day before her seven-year term comes to an end. She questioned Zuma for four hours last Thursday over allegations his business friends, the Gupta family, had influenced political appointments. Despite denials by Zuma and the Guptas, the affair has damaged the president, who was separately forced to repay part of the cost of a lavish upgrade to his private residence as a result of an investigation by Madonsela. The presidency said in a statement that Zuma had asked Madonsela's office to confirm by Tuesday that it would not conclude the current investigation and issue any report until he was given a chance to question the witnesses involved. "The President would want to exercise his right to question some of the witnesses before responding to the written questions and adducing evidence," it said, adding that Zuma wanted to be assisted by a legal representative. Zuma will testify after speaking to witnesses and reviewing any evidence that implicated him in the matter, the presidency added.
