Zuma says he is ‘not afraid to go to jail’

FORMER president Jacob Zuma has called on his supporters to use ‘peaceful means’ to protest the injustice against him.

Thousands of Zuma supporters, including a large cavalcade that drove up from Durban on Sunday, camped outside his Nkandla residence after the Constitutional Court ordered Zuma to hand himself over to the police to serve a 15-month sentence for being in contempt of court.

https://twitter.com/Bonginkocy/status/1411741327436492801

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This came after he repeatedly ignored the order to testify at the State Capture Inquiry.

The Constitutional Court has agreed to hear his application to have the order against him rescinded on 12 July.

Zuma will on Tuesday request the Pietermaritzburg High Court to interdict Police Minister Bheki Cele from arresting him.

The former President told the media and his supporters on Sunday that he has never refused to appear in the State Capture Commission, contrary to the mainstream narrative.

Instead, he claims he was sentenced to jail without trial or consideration of his health and age.

‘Sending me to jail in the height of a pandemic, at my age, is the same as sentencing me to death,’ said Zuma.

‘I trust that the peace-loving people will support me until the matter has concluded. ‘I fully agree that our democracy was achieved through the sacrifices of men and women who gave up life, but they did so that such things such as detention without trial should not see the light of day.’

The former President said that his past relationship with Judge Zondo, who is heading the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, manifested in a manner where he was treated unfairly and with bias.

‘I made a submission to Zondo pointing out exact details to support my contention that he is, in fact, not neutral. ‘He ruled that his submission is victorious.

‘This meant I was forced to appear in front of someone I accused of bias and having a conflict of interest.

‘Had judge Zondo simply recused himself and allowed my submission to be made to someone neutral, the people of South Africa would have heard my version.

‘All I am asking for is fairness and consistency.’

Zuma said he feared that the country was fast sliding back to ‘apartheid-style rule’ and slammed the lockdown restrictions made by President Cyril Ramaphosa in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘We have a level 4 lockdown and curfews of the 1890s. ‘The only difference is that we use different terms like contempt of court instead of jail without trial, but the substance is exactly the same.

‘I believe in the rule of law. I fought and went to prison and exile so that there can be the rule of law.’ The former President said that challenging the Constitutional Court’s order did not mean that he was afraid of going to jail. ‘

I am not scared of going to jail for my beliefs; it will not be for the first time.

‘I have already spent more than ten years in Robben Island in difficult and cruel times. ‘I have a duty and obligation to ensure that the dignity of our judicatory is not compromised.

‘I am not asking for sympathy but justice,’ he said.

Aside from being a politically volatile situation that shows clear division within the ruling party, the general public and some ministers have expressed deep concern over the potential spread of Covid-19 at the mass Nkandla gathering that goes against Covid-19 regulations.

This as the country recorded the highest number of Covid-19 infections on Sunday.

Acting Minister of Health Mmamoloko Nkhensani Kubayi said on Sunday that she shudders to think of the aftereffect of the Nkandla gathering, which is illegal under level four lockdown restrictions.

‘After the Pretoria march, court protests in Jo’burg and marches in Soweto, we saw numbers surge to above 26 000 last night.’

I shutter to think of the after effect of Nkandla gathering with the current variant. After the Pretoria March, Court Protest in Joburg & Marches in Soweto we saw numbers surge to above 26000 last night. pic.twitter.com/GiIOkD3N4o

— Mmamoloko Nkhensani Kubayi (@mmkubayi) July 4, 2021

Responding to a question from the media regarding the illegal mass gatherings, Zuma said that those who provoked the supporters would be better positioned to answer.

‘I am not sure whether that question is helpful to me because the people’s reaction tells a story that they are not happy with what the court has done, which tells us that we must not provoke people.

‘I was not responsible for this.’