Niehaus says ANC broke its promise to stand behind Zuma

Former MK military veterans spokesperson Carl Niehaus, who is also a staunch supporter of former president Jacob Zuma, on Monday lashed out at the ANC KwaZulu-Natal leadership for “abandoning Zuma”.

Shortly after its election last year, the ANC KZN provincial executive committee (PEC) pledged to rally behind Zuma during his court appearances.

However, none of the members of the ANC PEC was present to lend Zuma support during the former president’s court appearance in connection with his arms deal corruption matter, which was postponed to August 15.

ALSO READ | Zuma’s arms deal corruption case postponed

ANC called out for not supporting Zuma
Speaking to The Witness on Monday shortly after the Pietermaritzburg high court had postponed Zuma’s arms deal corruption matter to August 15, Niehaus said failure by the ANC top brass to attend the former president’s court case amounted to “duplicity”.

They said it in public … they told the whole world that they will support president Zuma.
But, where are they today [Monday]? What has become apparent is that they used [former] president Zuma’s popularity to get elected to top positions during last year’s provincial conference.
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“And now that they got what they wanted, they have disappeared,” he said.

During last year’s provincial conference, which saw the election of current ANC KZN leaders, Zuma supporters threw their weight behind the current ruling party provincial top brass.

To appease key Zuma supporters such as ANC Musa Dladla regional chairperson, Musa Cebekhulu, whose region at the provincial conference pushed for the adoption of a resolution for the ANC to support Zuma during his court appearances, the newly-elected ANC provincial leadership at the time vowed to stand by Zuma.

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“The ANC as an organisation should show full and massive support to president Zuma and must intervene to put this matter (arms deal corruption case) to rest to allow president Zuma a befitting retirement,” ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo pronounced at the time.

But Niehaus said the ANC provincial leadership was merely “playing lip service”.
“It was a mirage,” he said.

Cebekhulu promised to come back to The Witness “with all the facts”.

However, by late on Monday, Cebekhulu was yet to provide the facts to The Witness.

Niehaus told not to involve himself in ANC matters
ANC provincial secretary, Bheki Mtolo, said Niehaus should not involve himself in ANC matters.

Carl Niehaus is not a member of the ANC. I won’t glorify him by responding to whatever he says.
Zuma’s fresh court application to remove Downer
Meanwhile, Zuma has made a fresh application seeking the removal of the lead prosecutor in his arms deal case, advocate Billy Downer.

Previously, Zuma, who claims that Downer should be stripped of his title to prosecute in the matter on the basis that the senior prosecutor is biased, failed in his attempts to have the courts, including the Constitutional Court, remove Downer.

However, in his latest attempt to have Downer removed, Zuma is arguing that Downer should not be allowed to continue in his lead prosecutor role as the senior prosecutor was facing criminal charges.

This was after Zuma initiated private prosecution proceedings against Downer, accusing the senior prosecutor of leaking his medical report to News24 senior journalist, Karyn Maughan.

However, both Downer and Maughan have made an application for Zuma’s private prosecution to be halted.

ALSO READ | ‘All roads lead to PMB’ for Jacob Zuma’s arms deal case

According to the duo, the medical report which Zuma claims to have been leaked was already a public document when it was sent to Maughan.

It has also emerged that a member of Downer’s prosecuting team, and not the senior prosecutor, sent the document to Maughan.

Judge Nkosinathi Chili presided over Monday’s proceedings following the recusal of the previous judge in the case, Piet Koen.