Staunch supporter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, Hlaudi Motsoeneng said on Friday he had previously urged the ex leader to leave the governing African National Congress (ANC) because his comrades would get him arrested.

Motsoeneng spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the State capture commission of inquiry sitting in Parktown, Johannesburg.

"I warned Zuma to leave the ANC. I told him these people were going to put him in jail...I warned him, but he still loves them. That's fine, but I am supporting him. He is not a criminal or a thief," he said.

Motsoeneng lambasted former public protector Thuli Madonsela, who made adverse findings against Zuma in her State capture probe that led to the establishment of the commission chaired by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo.

"You cannot trust her. She misled the country on several occasions ... I experienced that about her, that's why I am taking her report on review," he said.

Motsoeneng said although he had left the ANC to form his own party, the African Content Movement, he would always stand by Zuma.

Former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo, Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) spokesperson Carl Niehaus, former cabinet minister Des van Rooyen and Zuma's son Edward sat among the ex president's supporters in the public gallery on Friday.

Zuma is viewed as a central figure in the alleged rent-seeking scandal that marked his two-term presidency. He has denied being corrupt.