DA & EFF Welcome Abrahams’ Decision to Prosecute Zuma. Full Statements.
Both opposition parties – the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – have welcomed Shaun Abrahams’ announcement that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will prosecute former South African President Jacob Zuma on corruption charges. Here are their full statements: DA welcomes Abrahams decision to prosecute Zuma – Mmusi Maimane, Leader of the […]
Both opposition parties – the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) – have welcomed Shaun Abrahams’ announcement that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will prosecute former South African President Jacob Zuma on corruption charges. Here are their full statements:
DA welcomes Abrahams decision to prosecute Zuma
– Mmusi Maimane, Leader of the Democratic Alliance
The DA welcomes the decision by the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Shaun Abrahams, to proceed with the criminal trial of Jacob Zuma. This is a victory for all who have fought for years for Jacob Zuma to face accountability for his crimes. That accountability starts now.
We launched this review application in 2009, after the 783 charges were dropped illegally and unconstitutionally. It is a fight that we have been waging in the Courts for almost nine years and today’s decision is a vindication of the decision to challenge the dropping of the charges. Now there must be no further delay in starting the trial. The witnesses are ready, the evidence is strong, and Jacob Zuma must finally have his day in court.
We will brief our legal teams immediately to oppose any effort by Zuma to delay this any further, including his application for a stay of prosecution.
We will also fight to ensure the public do not have to carry the costs of Zuma’s defence, as they have already done for the past 9 years.
I thank all of the legal teams who have waged this ‘lawfare’ over the years. Their effort and dedication has defeated Zuma’s endless delay tactics.
When Shabir Shaik was found guilty on charges of corruption and fraud in relation to the Arms Deal on 7 April 2005, Judge Squires’ judgment made it clear that Zuma must also be charged, and that the evidence for this was “convincing and really overwhelming”.
Shaik and Zuma’s trials should never have been separated in the first place and the decision to reinstate the charges should not have been a difficult one. Zuma’s day in court is years overdue and the NPA’s prosecutions team have said that there was a strong case on the merits and the only reason charges were dropped was because of the infamous Spy Tapes.
The then NDPP made the decision to withdraw charges against Zuma because he felt that the Spy Tapes had prejudiced Zuma and had made the trial unfair toward him. The DA challenged this decision in court and this is what we have been fighting for the past nine years, which has now been vindicated.
[WATCH] #ZumaCharges: "We will see him in orange overalls" says DA leader @MmusiMaimane, reacting to the NPA's decision to prosecute former President #JacobZuma. Courtesy #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/rQUS52blKV
— eNCA (@eNCA) March 16, 2018
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EFF WELCOMES THE DECISION BY THE NPA TO PROCEED WITH ZUMA’S PROSECUTION ON CORRUPTION CHARGES
– EFF National Spokesperson: Mbuyiseni Quintin Ndlozi
The EFF welcomes the decision by NPA to proceed with charges against Jacob Zuma so he can have his day in court. This decision comes after many years of manipulation of legal processes to try and avoid this inevitable eventuality. This included Zuma’s review application that the charges be set aside. The Zuma corruption trial will indeed provide a neutral platform for all matters relating to his charges to be ventilated as explained by the NDPP, and finally brought to a close.
It is important to state that no one, even former presidents, is above the law. The principle of equality before the law means we must all be equally held accountable for the deeds deemed illegal regardless of our social and political standing. The prosecution of Zuma will send a strong message to all kleptomaniacs within and outside the government that they can never loot the state and not meet the consequences thereof.
The EFF further calls on Shaun Abrahams to step down from the position of National Director of Public Prosecution. The courts have declared that his appointment was illegitimate and thus he has to step down. Nothing will further restore confidence in the NPA than a new and fresh NDPP.
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