Zuma, a man of (dubious) firsts
Zuma will be the first presidential candidate to be on the ballot paper and a charge sheet simultaneously
Thursday. It’s been a busy week in and out of the courts for our former president, Jacob Zuma. Not only will the former head of state’s head grace the ballot paper come 29 May, but he and his umkhonto wesizwe party have also been provided yet another day of wall-towall media coverage — inside and outside the courtroom — absolutely for free.
Well, not totally for free. Somebody will have to pick up the legal team’s bill, but ubaba walked out of the electoral court on Wednesday 1-0 up against his former party in their latest skirmish in the courts and straight into a live televised election rally that cost him not a cent.
The MK party also milked the mileage during the ANC’S failed attempt to have it barred from contesting the elections, and the governing party’s recent approach to the Durban court to stop the breakaway party making use of its former military wing’s name and logo.
Billboards cost money, but free TV cameras don’t.
The ANC had no choice but to gift Zuma the microphone.
The governing party’s leaders couldn’t exactly let Zuma walk off with MK’S name and logo without belatedly putting up a fight of some form — and had no choice but to stand by and watch him turn each
court appearance into a free rally.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Zuma will become the first person to contest a South African election as the presidential candidate of two different parties as a result of Wednesday’s electoral court ruling, which set aside the decision of the Electoral Commission of South Africa to remove him from the list. ubaba is back on the ballot. Nxamala was always a man of firsts when it comes to post-apartheid South Africa — think arrest, court, jail — so add another trophy to the cabinet at Kwadakwanuse when the timer gets home for the weekend.
Mosiuoa Lekota and Julius
Malema might have stood as presidential candidates for their respective breakaway parties, but neither made it to the heights in the ANC that Zuma — the man who forced them out of the governing party — did.
Zuma will also be the first presidential candidate for any party in our history to have his head on the ballot paper and a charge sheet at the same time — in stereo — a feat by anybody’s standards.
It nearly happened back in the day, but Zuma had beaten the rap — albeit temporarily — by the time the ballot papers were printed in 2009.
One hopes that ubaba doesn’t have a court appearance scheduled for election day this time around — or for when parliament is sworn in after the votes are counted — if embarrassing double parking situations are to be avoided.
The lawyers will have to straighten out his court calendar to synchronise it with that of parliament — or the Kwazulu-natal legislature if the latest round of rumours about his intentions are to be believed.
It would make sense to hold legislature sittings during the high court recess — or vice versa.
Perhaps court appearances and provincial cabinet meetings could be conducted simultaneously.
They could also alternate venues because they are across the road from each other in the Pietermaritzburg central business district.
The former president is no stranger to the court precinct.
He was back there this morning for a postponement in his latest attempt to prosecute his successor: nice not to be in the dock for a change.
Another day, another court appearance, another record.
ubaba already held the South African record for court appearances by a future head of state from the time before he became the president in 2009.
At this point, he remains a theoretical head of state, so there’s a chance that he could break his own record if the MK party gets a majority in May.
Zuma is also the only former president to have attempted to prosecute the sitting head of state — twice— and to try to prosecute a state prosecutor and a member of the fourth estate.
Msholozi also holds the national record for court appearances by a former head of state, given the reinstatement of the corruption charges against him back in 2018, which, like his future head of state title, is about to be broken.
And, if his team manages to number the numbers (and edit the Constitution) come May — he may be able to add the trophy for the most days in the dock by a sitting president as well.
Not bad for a man who was sent home from jail — terminally ill — not that long ago, another timely reminder that miracles do happen, just not in the way one expects — or wants — them to.
God is great.
Jacob Zuma may be able to add the trophy for the most days in the dock by a sitting president as well