Ahead of his return to the Constitutional Court, to argue for it to review its own decision that gave him a 15-month jail sentence, former president Jacob Zuma picked another fight with Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, saying the current crisis is a result of him refusing to recuse himself when asked to do so.
Zuma laid the blame for his legal troubles at the door of Zondo, former public protector Thuli Madonsela and the Concourt – which did not rein her in when she violated the Constitution, by taking away his powers to appoint a judge to chair the State Capture Commission, while Zondo refused to recuse himself.
Zuma was addressing his supporters, estimated to be about 6 000, from a mounted stage and public address system outside his home in Nkandla yesterday.
Before Zuma's address, there was a verbal showdown between supporters, when about 40 police officers in Hyundai H1 and double-cab vehicles closed the road leading to Zuma's home.
If your conduct is unprecedented you shouldn’t be surprised if the response is unprecedented #DailyThought
— Prof Thuli Madonsela #MelosKingdom (@ThuliMadonsela3) July 5, 2021
The police battalion was led by KZN provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Upon closing the road, causing gridlock, there was a verbal showdown.
When the other group of supporters outside Zuma's home heard about this, they marched to the cordon line "to clear the way for the blocked comrades". However, after speaking to Zuma supporters led by Bishop Vusi Dube, the police cleared the way.
Dube was heard shouting "they must leave, the people can monitor themselves". The police then cleared the road, allowing the supporters to pass through. The work of controlling the traffic was left to MK vets.
The attention is now shifting to the Pietermaritzburg High Court, where Zuma, using the legal team led by advocate Dali Mpofu, told his supporters yesterday "the reason why I am sleeping at home (not in a prison cell) tonight” is that he has to convince the court to suspend his arrest until the Concourt has heard his matter.
Zuma claimed that Zondo’s refusal to recuse himself led him to conclude that Zondo was sent to deal with him.
“His refusal makes me conclude that he has a mission against me, why he is so determined to chair it (the commission),” he said while speaking in Zulu, sometimes using idioms.
He further claimed that Zondo once admitted that the reason why he was the only judge chairing the commission, instead of two, was because he never wanted someone to have a different view in the final report.
"My former lawyer, Muzi Sikhakhane, once asked him about that. He confessed that it was because when he has to prepare the final report, he does not want a dissenting voice, that is how it is," Zuma said, much to the excitement of his supporters.
Political Bureau