“ Jacob Zuma must face the consequences of his actions ” – Casac

Former President Jacob Zuma on the State Capture Commission.

• The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution Jacob Zuma said should face the consequences of his actions.
• Zuma made it clear that he was prepared to face jail time rather than appearing before the commission.
• The Zondo commission says Zuma’s threats show that he considers himself “above the law and the Constitution”.

South Africa’s Council for the Advancement of the Constitution (Casac) said former President Jacob Zuma would face the consequences of his actions, saying failure to do so would weaken the foundations of democratic order. .

Casac welcomed a statement released by the state capture investigation criticizing Zuma’s announcement that he would not obey a summons to appear before the commission.

Casac, in a statement Wednesday, said the commission stressed that respect for the rule of law is a fundamental principle of constitutional order.

“ The conduct and statement by and on behalf of Mr. Jacob Zuma with respect to his obligation to appear before the Board of Inquiry demonstrates a blatant disregard for the summons issued by the Board as well as the order to last week of the Constitutional Court ordering that Mr. Zuma appear before the commission and answer the questions put to him, ”said Lawson Naidoo de Casac.

READ | He thinks ‘he is above the law’: Zondo commission denounces Zuma’s refusal to obey ConCourt’s order

Following a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the commission, Zuma made it clear that he was prepared to face jail time rather than appearing before the commission to answer questions about his tenure.

On Monday, Zuma released a statement and claimed his contempt was motivated by the Constitutional Court’s ruling that he did not have a general “right to silence” in response to the hundreds of questions the inquiry wants to ask him.

The court also found that if Zuma had the right to protect himself from self-incrimination, he had to explain why his response could incriminate him in a specific crime in order to exercise it.

But Zuma argued that the Supreme Court “had indeed ruled that as an individual citizen, I could no longer expect my fundamental constitutional rights to be protected and upheld by the country’s constitution.”

“I felt prompted to publicly express my solidarity with the feelings and concerns raised with me about a clearly politicized segment of the judiciary which now heralds an impending constitutional crisis in this country.”

However, Naidoo said “it cannot be that a former head of state treats courts, laws and summons with such disdain, in a desperate attempt to evade responsibility.”

He said if Zuma does not appear before the commission on February 15, the commission should initiate contempt proceedings against the Constitutional Court’s order.

Last year, the commission lodged a criminal complaint with the police following the release of Zuma in defiance of a subpoena issued against him.

Naidoo said every violation by the former president should result in new charges.

“Mr. Zuma’s lack of respect for the rule of law cannot and should not be tolerated. He must face the consequences of his actions. Failure to do so will weaken the foundations of our hard-fought democratic order.”

In a statement Tuesday evening, the committee said threats from Zuma showed that he considered himself “above the law and the Constitution”.

“It should be noted that although Mr. Zuma refuses to abide by the Constitution and obey the order of the Constitutional Court, on the one hand, he continues to enjoy the advantages that the Constitution grants to all former presidents in terms of pensions and other benefits paid by taxpayers, ”he said.

READ ALSO | ‘I’m not afraid of prison’: Zuma hits back at Zondo commission decision

The secretary of the commission was tasked with filing a criminal complaint against Zuma for not appearing from January 18 to 22, 2021.

Zuma is scheduled to appear before the commission from February 15 to 19.

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