Mr Zuma is no ordinary litigant. He is the former President of the Republic, who remains a public figure and continues to wield significant political influence, while acting as an example to his supporters… He has a great deal of power to incite others to similarly defy court orders because his actions and any consequences, or lack thereof, are being closely observed by the public. If his conduct is met with impunity, he will do significant damage to the rule of law. As this Court noted in Mamabolo, “[n]o one familiar with our history can be unaware of the very special need to preserve the integrity of the rule of law”. Mr Zuma is subject to the laws of the Republic. No person enjoys exclusion or exemption from the sovereignty of our laws… It would be antithetical to the value of accountability if those who once held high office are not bound by the law.
Fikile Mbalula, the deputy minister of police, is the latest member of President Jacob Zuma’s new government to confess a taste for luxury German cars. And his minister, Nathi Mthethwa, spent R235 000 on accommodation for himself and his security detail in one of Cape Town’s top hotels while his official residence was being upgraded. According to a written response to a question from the Democratic Alliance, Mbalula spent R1.6-million on a BMW 740i to use while he is in Gauteng and a Mercedes Benz ML500 with off-road trim and special seats for when he is in Cape Town.- Report in The Times
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