Karima Brown
4 August 2008
Johannesburg — THE African National Congress (ANC) said yesterday it was concerned about the "apparent mobilisation" of the judiciary ahead of today's bid by ANC president Jacob Zuma for a permanent stay of prosecution in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
The organisation said it was "worried" about the implications of the Constitutional Court's ruling on the Zuma matters last week, as well as an address by Chief Justice Pius Langa at a memorial lecture in honour of Judge Ishmael Mohammed on Friday.
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told Business Day last night that the ANC was concerned about the "apparent mobilisation" of the judiciary and the implications for today's proceedings.
"The timing of the lecture where Chief Justice Pius Langa spoke, which was attended by Judge Chris Nicholson (the presiding judge in the Zuma application) and his two assessors, coupled with the timing of the ruling of the Constitutional Court (on Thursday) and the apparent mobilisation of the judiciary, is worrying for us," Mantashe said.
Zuma has been involved in a legal wrangle with the National Prosecuting Authority stemming from the government's controversial arms deal for more than seven years.
Thousands of his supporters are expected to gather outside the court today to protest over Zuma's "persecution".
As the political temperature rises, they latched on to what they said was further evidence that he was unlikely to get a fair trial.
SA Communist Party (SACP) secretary-general Blade Nzimande said: "The Constitutional Court's judgment was vindictive because when Langa says judges must be harsh on those who are trying to evade the courts, he was actually setting a precedent and this compromises people's rights."
Nicholson's presence at the lecture is likely to come under the spotlight when leaders of the ANC-SACP-Congress of South African Trade Unions alliance address Zuma's supporters outside the court.
SACP KwaZulu-Natal secretary Themba Mthembu said, "It is not merely coincidence that this lecture was held on the eve of the trial. What was Pius Langa coming to do -- give instructions through a lecture?"
Leaders from the ANC youth and women's leagues, the Young Communist League and the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans' Association will give a "briefing" to supporters this morning and are expected to make much of Nicholson's presence at the lecture.
Organisers said it was unclear whether Zuma would address the crowd after his first day in court, and discussions were under way last night to finalise this.
"Either JZ (Jacob Zuma) or (ANC deputy president) Kgalema Motlanthe will speak to the people after Monday's proceedings. We are yet to make the final preparations," an organiser said.
Pietermaritzburg is expected to grind to a halt for the next two days, with major roads into the central business district closed to traffic.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Business Day. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
I seem to remember at one stage JZ was apealling for "his day in court",now that he has it he is unwilling to test his defence(innocence)against the evidence,and is stalling with technicalities and imtimidation, until people will be so sick and tired of him using other peoples money to stretch things out they will let him off the hook.History has not proven itself to be a lenient judge,you will do well to remember this.Remember the man was once(maybe still is)A part of the "morals regeneration programe",anybody who thinks with his/her head and not emotionaly,knows he is not the man for… [Read Full Text]