Former President Jacob Zuma at the State Capture Commission on 16 July 2019. Photo: The Citizen/Neil McCartney
African National Congress (ANC) NEC member Blade Nzimande has condemned former president Jacob Zuma’s behaviour at the party’s conference in Nasrec.
This after the former president entered the hall at Nasrec a few minutes into Ramaphosa’s political report, receiving chants from delegates, resulting in the disruption of the president’s speech.
Speaking to 702 on Sunday, Nzimande said the former president did not have to behave in that manner.
“For President Zuma it’s a shame that he can behave in this manner. He’s sending a message that the ANC will do what he likes, if it doesn’t he’s then going to disrupt the president. He would not have accepted this as president, he would have condemned it as being undisciplined and so on,” he said.
“Unfortunately he’s becoming a wrecking ball now, the way he’s behaving. He doesn’t need to be doing what he’s doing.”
Meanwhile, the former president’s foundation said he would not be withdrawing his charges against Ramaphosa.
“H.E President Zuma is not withdrawing the criminal case against President Ramaphosa. The case is set down for 19th January 2023. Prez Zuma is not going to litigate through letters and media,” said the foundation on Monday evening.
Ramaphosa had given the former president until Monday to withdraw his private prosecution against him.
This after the Jacob Zuma Foundation – on the eve of the ANC’s 55th national elective conference – released a statement on Thursday stating that the former president had instituted a private prosecution of Ramaphosa in Zuma’s bid to have the National Prosecuting Authority‘s (NPA) lead prosecutor, Advocate Billy Downer, removed from the arms deal corruption trial.
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In its statement, the foundation said Zuma had served summons on Ramaphosa “for being an accessory after the fact in the crimes committed by among others Advocate [Billy] Downer namely, [for] breaching the provisions of the NPA Act”.
The foundation added that Zuma had set in motion the private prosecution in the Johannesburg High Court and that Ramaphosa was expected to appear in court on 19 January 2023.
The Presidency rejected Zuma’s private prosecution as an abuse of legal processes, saying in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Act, a private prosecution could only be instituted after Zuma had obtained a certificate of non-prosecution from the NPA.
“Mr Zuma has not provided such a certificate with charges in the name of President Ramaphosa. The summons served to the president is hopelessly sub-standard and demonstrates [an] absolute disregard of the law,” said Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, in a statement.
Following Thursday’s developments, the State Attorney on Saturday served Zuma’s lawyers with a letter to withdraw the private prosecution of Ramaphosa by Monday or it will take further steps “as may be required”.
The letter stated that Zuma’s “purported summons” served on Ramaphosa’s private residence was invalid and did not include a nolle prosequi certificate issued by the NPA.
The State Attorney’s letter said Zuma’s private prosecution amounted to an abuse of court processes and a violation of the integrity of the country’s Constitutional institutions.
Now the foundation says Zuma will not withdraw the private prosecution.
Additional reporting by Thapelo Lekabe
