Pretoria – There is nothing personal in former’s president Jacob Zuma’s court challenge against President Cyril Ramaphosa, spokesperson for the Jacob Zuma Foundation Mzwanele Manyi said on Thursday.
Despite the high court interdict, which made it possible for Ramaphosa to be absent in court today, Zuma is still pressing on with his bid to charge his successor.
On Monday, a full bench of the South Gauteng High Court in Joburg granted President Ramaphosa an urgent interdict Zuma’s private prosecution, pending the outcome of a review application.
On Thursday, Zuma’s legal team told the court that they want to appeal that ruling given on Monday.
Zuma insists Ramaphosa must be prosecuted for allegedly being an accessory after the fact in his case against State prosecutor Billy Downer, and journalist Karyn Maughan.
After the short court session on Thursday, Manyi told reporters that their appeal seeks to set aside the interdict issued on Monday.
“Once you set aside the interdict, it means that all the arguments that President Ramaphosa wants to have, he can have them in the criminal court. Right now we have an unnecessary situation where we have two courts dealing with the same matter.
“If you appeal, and it (the interdict) is struck off, it means he cannot continue with his arguments in the criminal court, he can still do that and that is what we have been advising from day one. That these arguments can be made in a criminal court, there is no point in doing this confused process,” said Manyi.
He maintained that the court challenge is proves the vibrancy of rule of law in South Africa.
“It shows that in South Africa, rule of law is supreme, you do not say just because he is my friend, he is my comrade and therefore rule of law must take second place. In South Africa we a re a constitutional democracy, supremacy of the Constitution, everybody is equal before the law – so this is just a display of that,” Manyi added.
“The fact that you are a president does not excuse you from becoming subject to legal processes.”
Zuma’s private prosecution case has been postponed to 26 May, giving Ramaphosa time for the review application set to be heard on 17 and 18 May. In the review application, Ramaphosa is challenging the legitimacy of Zuma's private prosecution.
IOL