‘Sick’ Zuma won’t be at address after all

Parliament’s “erroneous” confirmation that former president Jacob Zuma will attend the State of the Nation address (Sona) in Cape Town today not only set off a public outcry and left his lawyers baffled, it also grabbed the attention of legal and political experts.

Zuma’s lawyers claimed earlier this month he was seriously ill and receiving treatment in Cuba. As a result, he missed his first appearance for his arms deal corruption trial in the High Court in Pietermaritzburg.

Yesterday, parliament confirmed with a one-line tweet that the former president will attend the Sona but later retracted, saying in confirming the list of former presidents who have confirmed attendance of #Sona, the tweet erroneously included Zuma.

“The confirmation was premature; an accurate update will be given later today. The error is regretted,” parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said.

Though a legal expert said Zuma’s attendance would be legally disastrous for his trial, political analyst and research associate at Tshwane University of Technology Lucky Mathebula, did not put this past Zuma because of his “brave and warrior” posture.

“Zuma thinks it is a courageous and brave thing to do. He might also be emboldened by his belief that some MPs supported him and might want him there,” he said.

Mathebula, however, believed Zuma’s presence would be disruptive and there would be those who cheer and those who boo him, adding that “parliament would not be the same after that”.

Zuma has not attended President Cyril Ramaphosa’s two previous State of the Nation addresses, with criminal law expert, Stiaan Krause, saying his attendance this time would be detrimental to his case because the medical certificate he submitted to the high court stated that he was unable to appear due to ill health.

Because the medical certificate stated that he was unable to be in court between 6 January and 30 April, with the matter set down for 6 May – the date he would supposedly be fit – he could not be in parliament.

“If you are too sick to go to court, you are too sick to go anywhere,” Krause said.