Quote of the week
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.
Secretary of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State v Zuma and Others (CCT 52/21) [2021] ZACC 18
The Ministry of State Security has noted with concern the ongoing media onslaught on the Protection of Information Bill debate. After the public hearings on the bill, the Minister for State Security, Dr Siyabonga Cwele requested additional time to consider the submissions made, this owing to the seriousness of the issues at hand. What is concerning is the tone of the debate which suggests that the work on this bill is complete and that Parliament has already made its pronouncements on the matter. This perception is clearly not true and mischievous on the part of some who are participating in the debate. An additional element of concern is the ‘war-talk’ that forms part of the media debate, as well as personal attacks on members of the adhoc committee working on the bill. This type of engagement is unwarranted and does nothing to add value to the debate and the work that is currently underway. If anything, it is dangerous and misguided. – Statement issued by the Ministry of State Security spokesperson, Brian Dube, in an attempt to intimidate and silence critics of the Bill
