Daily Dispatch
Zuma’s battle on the sidelines
IN JUST five days, Jacob Zuma will step down as president of the governing party when more than 4 000 ANC delegates gather at Nasrec in Johannesburg to elect their new leadership.
The road to this week’s elective conference has been brutal, with the Eastern Cape’s now infamous “festival of chairs” and the use of social media and open letters to take aim at opponents showing visible cracks within the party.
Two candidates have emerged as the top contenders in the final days leading up to the much-anticipated conference: on the one side is Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and on the other, NEC member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who has been endorsed by Zuma to become the next president of the ruling party, and ultimately the country.
And while Zuma fights to hold onto the reins within the party, which many believe he hopes to do through Dlamini-Zuma, the president faces yet another battle on the sidelines.
A full bench of the North Gauteng High Court last Friday declared the appointment of Shaun Abrahams as the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) unlawful and that he should vacate the position.
It also found that former NPA head Mxolisi Nxasana’s termination was invalid and that he should pay back the R17-million golden handshake he received.
Nxasana resigned in 2015 after entering into an agreement with the president. At the time, he was facing an inquiry into his fitness to hold office. He has, however, not been reinstated.
The high court on Friday also ruled that due to his impending corruption case, Zuma was conflicted in appointing a new NPA head. The duty to do so within 60 days now rests on the shoulders of Deputy President Ramaphosa – a decision the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans’ Association (MKMVA) has described as “serious judicial overreach”.
It came as no surprise when, just hours after the high court ruling on Abrahams, Zuma announced his intention to appeal the decision. Why would he not?
Not only is the president facing a political battle for survival, but the corruption charges are hanging over his head like an axe ready to come down. Abrahams has been a key figure behind the delays in the president finally having his day in court.
Zuma faces 783 counts of fraud, corruption, money laundering and racketeering. Abrahams and his colleagues within the National Prosecuting Authority have been reluctant to pursue a case against the country’s first citizen despite there being sufficient prima facie evidence to do so.
Abrahams remaining at the helm will only further damage the already compromised integrity of South Africa’s prosecuting authority – especially during a time when the country is overwhelmed by allegations of state plunder involving prominent figures and the Gupta family, who have close ties to Zuma.
The public should have confidence that the NPA head is someone who will act in the best interest of the country and not someone who is seen to be protecting the interests of certain individuals.