Malema thanks ConCourt for ‘protecting our democracy’

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has finally broken his silence on the Constitutional Court’s (ConCourt) judgment against former president Jacob Zuma.

The ConCourt on Tuesday sentenced the former president to 15 months in prison after finding him guilty of contempt of court.

The Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture approached the ConCourt on an urgent basis for an order that would compel Zuma to cooperate with the commission.

After being ordered to appear before the commission, Zuma released a statement accusing the commission and the ConCourt of victimising him, and vowed that he would rather go to jail than appear before the commission.

Now he has been given five days to go to jail.

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The EFF leader was first to personally engage the former president following his statements that he would not appear before the commission or respect the ConCourt order.

While most voiced their opinion on the matter following the ruling, Malema remained mum until later in the day.

He appreciated the ConCourt’s decision, but also sent a message of support to the former president.

“Thank you @ConCourtSA, for protecting our democracy and once more proving that we are all equal before the law. Strength cde President @PresJGZuma; this too shall pass,” he tweeted on Tuesday evening.

In his latest interview with Xoli Mngambi on Newzroom Afrika, Malema said he went to Nkandla in an attempt to get the former president to respect the commission and ConCourt.

“I raised those issues sharply and many other issues with the president. I took a different approach in that to reach him, I would rather not speak to him through the media, I would rather talk to him, which I did. He raised important issues, some of them I raised them myself with the leadership of the country,” said Malema.

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“But the principle which was never a secret, I went when he said he’s not going to appear for the commission and when he said he’s got problems with the Constitutional Court I became a bit worried.

“I went and said we can have all types of disagreements but institutions of our democracy must be protected and you guys are the ones who taught us that. Wrong or right you can’t be seen to be attacking such institutions.”

The EFF leader said the meeting became so heated the former president’s daughter had to intervene.

“I raised it with him to his face. At some point it was highly heated in the meeting and the daughter who was not part of the meeting later joined because she could realise that it looks like there’s going to be some problem here.

“She had to come in and sit with us and made very informed inputs which made all of us to calm down and start to refocus on matters at hand.”