THE nation is holding its collective breath as the State Capture Commission braces itself to receive former president Jacob Zuma on Monday despite his defiance of the summons to appear before it.
Despite his protestations, Zuma is compelled by the ruling of the Constitutional Court to appear and testify before the Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo this week.
As an anxious nation waits for Zuma’s appearance on Monday, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed the governing party’s support for the work of the Zondo Commission, and urged party members and all South Africans to cooperate with the inquiry.
“The NEC calls on affected members to act in the interest of protecting and enhancing the integrity and credibility of the organisation and step aside voluntarily in line with the recommendations of the Integrity Commission and the Conference Resolution,” said Ramaphosa at the end of the party’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Sunday.
“The Constitution and the rule of law are sacrosanct components of our democracy and all people in the country must respect these principles.”
Ramaphosa said the Constitution and the rule of law are sacrosanct components of the South African democracy and all people in the country must respect these principles.
“To allow anything else would lead to anarchy and open the floodgates easily for counter-revolution,” he said.
The commission has set aside the week of 15 to 19 February 2021 for the hearing of the evidence of the former president.
According to the commission, Zuma’s decision to defy the ConCourt order and summons of the commission is particularly unacceptable as “the person making such a decision is a former President of the country who should be exemplary in upholding the rule of law and the constitution”.
“It seems that Mr Zuma considers himself to be above the law and the constitution. The commission reiterates that in terms of the constitution everyone is equal before the law. This constitutional guarantee must be given effect to,” the commission said last week.
“The commission is concerned that Mr Zuma’s decision to defy the order of the Constitutional Court and the summons of the commission displays a complete disregard for the rights and interests that South Africans have in obtaining comprehensive responses from him to a lot of evidence regarding state capture, corruption and fraud that concern him and others connected with him that relate to his terms of office as President of the country which have been led in the commission over the past three years.”
At the weekend’s NEC, the party leaders tried to persuade Zuma to appear before the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture this week.
However, Zuma as he showed no sign of softening his defiance and backing down from his refusal to appear.
Zuma has been warned of possible arrest if he defies a summons to appear before Zondo on Monday, a move that the ANC top brass have warned him could plunge the country into a constitutional crisis.
His close allies, the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA), said following a meeting at Zuma’s Nkandla homestead this week that they will stop any attempts to arrest the former president.
MKMVA spokesperson, Carl Niehaus, said the organisation has now decided to deploy MKMVA members to Zuma’s home.
“MKMVA will do everything within our members to prevent his arrest and to protect him from such humiliation,” said Niehaus.
“There will be from henceforth a presence of uMkhontowesizwe Military Veterans members at Nkandla. When we met President Zuma yesterday (Friday), there was a tune of MKMVA members there in full combat uniform. We will continue to have members of MKMVA in full combat uniform present at his residence for as long as we think it is necessary.”
(SOURCE: INSIDE POLITICS)
