Duduzane Zuma. Photo Gallo Images/Netwerk 24/Deaan Vivier
Duduzane Zuma, the son of Jacob Zuma, spoke out about the arrest of the former president, saying the matter is very simple: “He should not be in prison”.
Duduzane said there is no doubt that “we are going to fight to get him out, it’s not a joke”. However, he said those responsible for Zuma’s incarceration made a critical mistake: It’s not just one man they arrested.
“You think you are incarnating one man because of whatever reason. What we need to understand is that man carries the hopes, the aspirations and the dreams of millions of people in this country”, Duduzane said.
“You think you are locking up an individual, and a being on his own. That’s not the case. You are locking someone up who carries a light for people. You’re locking up someone who is the embodiment of coming from nothing to becoming somebody in life”.
Duduzane said his father did the best of his abilities to contribute towards getting things “where they are in this country” today, as a host of other people had done before.
He also reminded the country once again of Zuma’s age and frail health: “He is 79 years old. He is going nowhere. He’s an old man. […] He is currently sitting in a prison cell. Seventy-nine years old guys. Stop playing games”.
Speaking on Zuma’s political career, Duduzane said his father “had been poisoned on multiple occasions”. There have been attempts made on his life, and he was forced to resign”.
“You forced him to resign, which he did. He was minding his own business. You continued hounding him”.
“You’ve charged him, you haven’t followed due processes as much as you claim. […] He has a right to defend himself. His right to a fair trial has completely been ignored”.
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Duduzane said there is “more happening in this country than locking up one man who you believe is the root cause of all these issues”. He called on those behind Zuma’s imprisonment to “stop lying to people” and focus on real issues.
He said Zuma’s family and supporters won’t distract from what needs to be done, and they won’t distract “from the challenges we face today”. He called on South Africans to instead band together as “we all need to be part of the solution”.
“We’re not here to distract from what needs to be done, We’re not here to distract from the challenges we face today. We all need to band together. We all need to be a part of the solution”.
Yes, South Africans have lost loved ones to the virus and Duduzane says he is not taking that lightly. However, the bigger issues, he said, are not related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Duduzane said the real problems in the country are poverty, unemployment and the “high levels of crime caused by the conditions of poverty and unemployment”.
He said the individuals who incarcerated his father “are turning ordinary society into criminals”. It won’t be long before law enforcement agents are forced to turn to criminality as well, he says.
“Don’t place us in a situation where you leave us no choice but to do what we need to do”.
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