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
Why have the institutions of the state, the Hawks and the SA Revenue Service in particular, done nothing about Malema for all this time? Why is it that when City Press and other newspapers started raising the red flag about Malema’s wealth way back in 2009, no one lifted a finger? Why is Malema being investigated and possibly charged now? Are these investigations coordinated? We have been here before. We have seen state institutions being used for political ends. The man who alleged that President Thabo Mbeki and his administration were using organs of state to go after him was none other than Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, our current president. Zuma needs to explain to the nation whether Malema is being pursued because he is indeed dipping his fingers into places they should not be dipped, or whether he is being pursued because he has proven too opinionated for the comfort of some ANC leaders. – Justice Malala
