South Africa’s Public Protector Thuli Madonsela will interview the country’s President Jacob Zuma this week in the final leg of her investigation into “state capture” and allegations that he abused power and allowed friends, the Gupta family, to influence state business.

The probe is viewed by ANC leaders critical of Zuma as a last-ditch attempt to rein him in and neutralise the influence of the Gupta family after an ANC attempt to investigate the same thing failed dismally.

Among the allegations being probed are that Zuma allowed the Gupta family to influence the selection of some of his Cabinet members during his first and second terms as president.

“We will hear his version of events and he may have information for us that we will need to consider against our own findings,” Madonsela said in an interview on Monday.

Zuma’s spokesman, Bongani Ngqulunga, has confirmed that the meeting will take place this week, most likely on Thursday.

The meeting between Madonsela and Zuma comes as the tensions around the probe rise, with new claims on Tuesday that Deputy Minister Mcebisi Jonas had lied when he said the Guptas had offered him a Cabinet position.

The claims, published in the Citizen newspaper, are made in a letter that Fana Hlongwane wrote to Madonsela obtained by the newspaper. Hlongwane was also present at the meeting in which Jonas says the offer was made. He says that he met Jonas along with Zuma’s son Duduzane to discuss matters arising from a business relationship that had soured.

During the meeting, Hlongwane says, a member of the Gupta family entered the room briefly and then left.

“I categorically deny that there was ever a discussion or offer, by anybody of any governmental position to Deputy Finance Minister Jonas,” his letter states.

Madonsela said on Tuesday that she had requested a meeting with Hlongwane and if this did not materialise, she might have to subpoena him.

He had been expected to have a meeting with her under oath and not send a letter.

“It seems to me that he will have to be subpoenaed because he has something to say, he’s given his version of events to the public,” she said.

His version had not been tested through cross-examination, which is why he had to come before the public protector.

She interviewed Ajay Gupta on Tuesday.

Madonsela had hoped to finish the probe, which began in March, before she steps down next week.

“That was the plan, but our back is against the wall. We are still optimistic.”

She and her team spent several hours in the Presidency on Monday poring over the declarations of the members of the Cabinet in an attempt to piece together the jigsaw.

Should Madonsela not meet her deadline, it will then be up to her successor, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, to make the findings available to the public.

According to Ngqulunga, “President Zuma will make the necessary announcement regarding the appointment in the coming days.” Madonsela leaves behind an office that is severely constrained in terms of manpower and finances. She contracted two external forensic experts from PwC and only later, added three of her own staff to work on this state capture investigation.

“But the reality is that an investigation like this needs about 10 people.

“But we simply don’t have the resources. We are very constrained right now.”

All of the public protector’s senior investigators, about 30 or so, are currently on a work go-slow as they negotiate an occupational-specific dispensation with their employer.

They had failed to reach an agreement at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration in recent weeks “and we are now headed for the Labour Court”, she said.

This year, her office worked off a budget of R249m, “but to be able to function, we would have needed about R100m or so more to do all that needed to be done,” said Madonsela.

•Text courtesy of Business Day (South Africa). Photo shows President Zuma.

Update news