PRESIDENT VS EX-PRESIDENT
Presidency shrugs off latest ‘harassment campaign’ missive, while Zuma foundation spokesperson dons red beret
The Presidency deems Jacob Zuma’s latest missive as yet another component of his ‘broader harassment campaign’ aimed at President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Presidency said on Friday that it will not waste time considering former president Jacob Zuma’s “illogical demands” for President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove Chief Justice Raymond Zondo from his post.
“Beneath Mr Zuma’s guise of a self-proclaimed and righteous guardian of our constitutional democracy is a contemptuous denial of President Ramaphosa’s leadership of the governing party and the country,” Presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya told Daily Maverick.
“Mr Zuma continues to demonstrate his scornful attitude towards democratic processes that do not pander to his desires and whims. His derision towards the country’s democratic institutions and legal processes continues unabated and knows no boundaries,” he continued.
The Presidency’s response comes after Zuma, through his lawyers Ntanga Nkuhlu Inc Attorneys wrote to President Ramaphosa this week, challenging the rationality of the appointment of Judge Zondo as South Africa’s Chief Justice.
In the five-page letter, the ex-president’s lawyers demand that Ramaphosa remove Zondo as Chief Justice before 11 May 2023.
Additionally, they demand that Ramaphosa provide reasons for, what they claim was an “irrational decision” on Ramaphosa’s behalf to appoint Zondo as Chief Justice.
“Failure to comply with any or all of the abovementioned demands will result in our clients instituting urgent legal proceedings in the appropriate court without giving further notice to you.”
Responding to the letter, Magwenya said that Zuma “could continue with another frivolous court action if he so desires.”
The presidency viewed “this latest missive from Mr Zuma as another element of his broader harassment campaign aimed at the President”, he said.
This is one of the former president’s many offensives against President Ramaphosa, including a private prosecution where he accuses Ramaphosa of being an accessory to criminal conduct relating to the alleged unauthorised disclosure of medical information in Zuma’s private prosecution of veteran prosecutor Billy Downer — who will be prosecuting the Arms Deal graft trial in which Zuma is accused number one — and journalist Karyn Maughan.
Zuma’s attempt to drag Ramaphosa before a privately funded court was blocked by the Johannesburg high court in January this year.
Ramaphosa appointed Zondo as South Africa’s Chief Justice in March 2022, with Judge Mandisa Maya his deputy. Zondo had already been acting in the position for several months while Ramaphosa’s decision was awaited. He assumed the post with 25 years of experience on the Bench, and is a widely trusted household name; consequence of his work chairing the State Capture Commission, Daily Maverick’s Rebecca Davis wrote.
In the letter addressed to the President, Zuma’s lawyers said that, “all the three nominees performed far better than Judge Zondo and he was determined to be the least suitable or an unsuitable candidate”.
“It is therefore inexplicable and seemingly irrational that you nevertheless elected to ignore or overlook the informed recommendations of the JSC in making the relevant appointment.”
Zuma’s lawyers claimed that Zondo’s appointment was accompanied by “ulterior, illegal and unconstitutional and personal motives” on Ramaphosa’s behalf.
The ex-president’s lawyers further accused Zondo of prejudice and having violated Zuma’s rights by “making adverse findings against him in the report of the State Capture Commission, even though he unlawfully failed to give him a fair hearing.” Additionally, his lawyers claimed that Zondo had “gratuitously insulted” Zuma by making “adverse, unjustified and irrational political statements” against him unbefitting of the Chief Justice when giving a recent lecture at the University of Fort Hare.
“Given the former president’s publicly announced intention to challenge the findings of the so-called Zondo Commission, such conduct on the part of Judge Zondo constituted the proverbial last straw,” his lawyers continued.
This is not the first time Zuma has unleashed a torrent of grievances against the Chief Justice. Days after Zondo handed President Ramaphosa the final part of the State Capture report in June 2022, Zuma claimed Zondo harboured a “hatred” and “deep-seated resentment” toward him.
The Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi had, at the time, threatened that Zuma’s legal team would approach the JSC to institute wide-ranging grievances against Zondo while simultaneously asking the courts to adjudicate on the matters.
“The Judicial Services Commission (JSC) deals with complaints against judges. Mr Zuma can address his complaints directly to the JSC,” Magwenya told Daily Maverick on Friday.
JZ Foundation spokesperson ditches ATM, joins EFF
The Jacob Zuma Foundation’s letter demanding Zondo’s removal as the country’s Chief Justice comes amid the Foundation’s spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi’s decision to resign from the African Transformation Union (ATM) to join the EFF.
Mzwanele Manyi, Jacob Zuma Foundation spokesperson at the Welcome National Day of Prayer for former President Jacob Zuma at People’s Park on 4 October, 2021 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Gallo Images/Darren Stewart)
Manyi announced he had joined the Red Berets on Twitter on Friday, to “make a contribution in freeing South Africa from neo-colonialism; rampant corruption; and to rescue the country from the imminent failed state situation.”
Today I join the Revolution Movement, @EFFSouthAfrica as a card carrying member, to make a contribution in freeing South Africa from neo-colonialism; rampant corruption; and to rescue the country from the imminent failed state situation. Aykhale!! pic.twitter.com/aF7krfLsnk
— Mzwanele Manyi (@MzwaneleManyi) May 5, 2023
Welcoming Manyi to the party on Twitter, EFF leader Julius Malema said his credentials “speak volumes”.
On behalf of our @EFFSouthAfrica ground forces, I want to take this opportunity to welcome fighter @MzwaneleManyi to his political home. We are honoured to have you as part of our family; remember, we are one people of the African continent.
Your credentials speak volumes, and…
— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) May 5, 2023
The former head of policy at the ATM was seen marching alongside EFF leader Julius Malema at the party’s “national shutdown” march in Pretoria on 20 March this year, alongside other notable figures including former president Jacob Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile, and leader of the African Radical Economic Transformation Alliance, Carl Niehaus. Manyi did not wear any of the EFF’s regalia, but a black T-shirt branded, “Shutdown”.
Read in Daily Maverick: Political minnows join EFF’s national protest, but the big fish all give it a miss
(From left) Vuyolwethu Zungula, Julius Malema, Carl Niehause and Mzwanele Manyi during their march to the the presidential compound in pretoria on 20 March 2023. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
Daily Maverick sent queries to Manyi but did not receive a response by the time of publication. DM
We all know that JZ is not very bright, but now he lost it completely. Since he committed treason all governmental support he still enjoys should be cancelled immediately.
I think JZ actually has a point – although it is rather perverse! When he was doing his level best to sell the Nations dignity & soul to a family in Saxonwold. When he allowed them to land at Waterkloof without clearance, passport control etc. When he made Cabinet, State institution & SOE appointments with persons I wouldn’t have licking stamps at the Post Office (if we had a Post Office) the party defended him without reservation. Four years down the line & the same party with pretty much the same people making the same diabolical decisions & appointments (whilst continuing to steal with gay abondon from the public purse) find it convenient to perpetuate the narrative that he is somehow the Bad Guy in all of this! Why should he be persecuted & prosecuted when by CR’s own admission ‘The ANC stands as Accused Number One’ Surely it should be the ANC as a collective that stands trial for Arms Deal Corruption & equal time behind bars at the Escourt Correctional facility? Why is JZ being designated the Poster Boy of corruption & State Capture when 4 years following his excommunication the same inept & corrupt modus operandi applies? What JZ is perhaps asking is that if the assertion that he was Alpha & Omega of all of South Africas problems why after 4 years is our situation not tangibly better & why is everyone on his case in particular?
Grumpy Old Man, while you have a point to some extent, I have to point out that on many fronts the same inept & corrupt modus operandi is actually NOT applying any more. A lot of good things are happening with the fight against corruption; slowly but certainly Ramaphosa is succeeding in getting some results regarding more effective SAPS and SSA; the quest for clean energy is gaining a LOT of momentum, as one of the DM articles have shown this weekend; and all of this is Ramaphosa that is winning some internal battles against the African nationalists inside the ANC such as specifically JZ. I think we should appreciate that Ramaphosa is WILLING to realise that the ANC is accused no. 1 and why he is trying to mobilize the voters to vote the corrupt out while he knows very well that everyone sees that as the ANC (as you also point out). He does that because a lot of support for putting SA before the ANC exists inside the ANC. They have to suffer the same bad consequences as we do and they are looking for solutions. I don’t think that that is how it is going to pan out, but they are willing to take that chance. I think we should let it play out and have a bit of faith, not in one single party, but that SA will eventually produce the leaders that will get us out of the morass. Ramaphosa may well be one, and Mmusi Maimane, Songezi Zibi, Herman Mashaba, Pumzile van Damme, Magashule Gana, and maybe even John Steenhuizen, one never knows – he has shown a lot of open-mindedness.
Despite our huge problems there some positives as you say Roelf. Good to be reminded of these.
Well said, thank you for reminding us that a lot of good has happened in the past 4 years and many of our institutions are being restored, SARS and the NPA are good examples… many of our daily problems are at local government and SOE level and that needs urgent attention and good people!
The NPA has certainly not been a recipient of ‘a lot of good’. It is unfortunately one of the most ineffective and inept departments of this government. It needs urgent management to attend to the scores of outstanding cases it is meant to bring to finality. Not going to happen any time soon!!!!!
Good exchange of views here. It is complicated, but indeed not all bad. We hope those with SA’s best interests in mind will triumph.
He must be selling a mountain of socks to afford all those legal bills? Who is funding him??
And for once I agree with Julius. Many definitely has the credentials the EFF need. Birds of a feather
Agree about the funding. Cut off the funding and the nonsense will stop. Alternatively have him declared a vexatious litigant ( I wonder if that is still possible?)
Zuma and the Anc still friends, just smoke and mirrors to fool us
A lot of people these days think that they are the navel of the world and should be treated accordingly.
When does the NPA wake up and make an end to this excessively credulous belief? Ace, Zuma, Duduzile, Malema and dozends more.
Well, well, at least now all these hardline African nationalists that have been looting SA are coming out into the open with where there real sentiments lie, and does not even try to hide it any more! They actually exposed themselves last year already when they attacked Ramaphosa for doing the right thing by not only appointing Zondo, but also by letting the Zondo report mostly be applied. In fact the only mistake the President made was not doing it earlier already and not coming down onto them even then. I also believe that all government support that Zuma has should be stopped immediately, and why is Duduzile & Duduzane still free persons and not in jail? Were they not implicated in the instigation of the July 2021 unrest?
At least Cyril had the courage to make this statement – about the first stand he has taken since becoming vice president.
You go guy! You can do it! Be brave and say no to your messy MP’s, say sorry I put the stolen money in the couch, say yes to fixing the country….
Manyi is a simple opportunist who sees a 2024 ANC/EFF alliance in the making. Since RET faction members will be less favoured, he has worked out that he has a better chance on the gravy train being in EFF camp. More pigs at the trough at the expense of the poor. Shameless people.
Manyi’s track record with the Gupta’s, Afro World News and ANN7 makes him perfectly qualified and experienced to be able to teach the EFF tricks to reach hights of corruption beyond that of simply robbing VBS bank pensioners and the desperate people in depraved municipalities.
You took the words out of my mouth.
And he still wants his day in court, if he lives to see it with all his attempts to keep out of court.
Referring to Duduzile Zuma and Carl Niehaus as “notable figures” gives them far to much gravitas and is a poor choice of words.