ANC to meet Zuma over his court defiance
The long-awaited meeting between the ANC’s top six officials and Jacob Zuma to discuss his decision to defy an order of the highest court in the land may take place this week. The defiance of the Constitutional Court order that the former president appear before the state capture commission led to the inquiry filing a contempt of court order and asking that he be jailed for two years.
The long-awaited meeting between the ANC’s top six officials and Jacob Zuma to discuss his decision to defy an order of the highest court in the land may take place this week.
The defiance of the Constitutional Court order that the former president appear before the state capture commission led to the inquiry filing a contempt of court order and asking that he be jailed for two years.
This was after Zuma did not pitch up for his appearance on February 15, having earlier said he was prepared to go to prison.
The meeting between the governing party’s officials comes after Zuma last month met EFF leader Julius Malema at his Nkandla home in KwaZuluNatal. Malema was joined by ANC members Mzwandile Masina and Tony Yengeni — seen to be aligned with Zuma and the party’s secretarygeneral Ace Magashule. It was reported at the time that the group asked Zuma to reconsider his position on facing the commission.
It is likely the ANC officials will also try to convince Zuma to adhere to the court order and co-operate with the commission. Magashule, who will be attending the meeting, has said he does not believe Zuma has done anything wrong.
Speaking to the SA National Editors’ Forum at the end of February, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the party would be meeting Zuma and “the message will be earnest, simple and straightforward that let us all abide by our constitution, respect our institutions, particularly the judiciary”.
The Sunday Times quoted ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile saying the meeting would happen on Monday.
The contempt of court case against Zuma is set down to be heard in the Constitutional Court later in March.
In parliament this week, deputy president David Mabuza is due to answer questions in the National Council of Provinces on Thursday.
The National Assembly on Wednesday will hold an oral questions session with the ministers of basic education; health; higher education, science & innovation; human settlements, water & sanitation; social development; and sports, arts & culture.
Health minister Zweli Mkhize will be asked about the possible third wave of the coronavirus and an update on negotiations with vaccine manufacturers and the acquisition plan.
Social development minister Lindiwe Zulu will be asked about the disability grant and whether her department has done an investigation into circumstances that led police to spray water cannons on the elderly and the disabled at the SA Social Security Agency’s office in Bellville, Cape Town.
She will also be asked about the extension of the special Covid-19 social relief of distress grant.
On Thursday and Friday the National Assembly is scheduled to hold a number of miniplenary sessions.
These are expected to cover the restructuring of SA ’ s intelligence and security architecture; implications of privatising Eskom; the growing crisis of unemployment and the need for the government to prioritise opportunities for lowand no-skilled South Africans.
On Friday they will deal with minimum wages, red-tape and prescriptive legislation; negative consequences of government corruption on the people and development of SA; and why the country can no longer afford to delay implementing a basic income grant.