Wilson Chipangura, Guest Reporter
PRETORIA – Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema has given his view on the impending imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma following a recent Constitutional Court ruling.
The country’s highest court on Tuesday sentenced former President Jacob Zuma to 15 months in prison on charges relating to corruption and failure to appear before a Commission of Inquiry.
Reacting to the subject which has a topical issue in South Africa the whole week, Malema seemed to disagree with the way Zuma’s case was handled. “We do not agree with the sentencing.
It is extremely out of order. It is emotional and it is angry. We don’t think that the sentencing surely speaks to the law.
“President Zuma is a first offender. He is a former statesman, he is 79 years old and he has got no criminal record. All of that should have been taken into consideration.
“One would have expected the Constitutional Court to say 15 months in prison suspended until you appear before the Zondo Commission so that he continues with his behaviour of refusing to appear.
“But we must not save Zondo as well from this, we are in this mess because of Judge Zondo and President Zuma.
“When President Zuma said that Zondo must recuse himself, Zondo refused to recuse himself and did not even consider any other thing except his ego.
“Whether Zuma was right or wrong to ask for his recusal is neither here nor there, sometimes you say, for the sake of progress, for the sake of justice being seen to be done, even if I don’t agree with President Zuma, let me step aside and allow someone to run just this process and I will come back to continue with the commission.
“For the sake of progress, peace and unity of our country, Judge Zondo should also have considered something like that. We are here because of the stubbornness of two old people who carried their egos more than the interest of our country.
“It’s a very unfortunate situation and we want to make a clear call, Ramaphosa and Bheki should never think that they will shoot our people the same way the did at Marikana.
“We are not part of what’s happening in Nkandla. We will not be part of what’s happening in Nkandla, but no one who suffer from the interest of absolute power should use fire to kill our people in KwaZulu Natal.
“We are not going to agree with that nonsense. They must find solutions to this nonsensical situation we find ourselves in, which is of their own creation and no one should lose life,” charged Malema.
Zuma who has been a subject of investigation in recent months, was found guilt of contempt for defying the order by the Constitutional Court to appear at an inquiry into corruption while he was in office.
Malema, a Commander-In-Chief of the EFF party, was one of the first political leaders to visit former President Jacob Zuma in Nkandla some months ago, after he refused to cooperate with the Zondo Commission.
