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.
The Abahlali baseMjondolo (Shack Dwellers) Movement website contains a picture (below) of the site where Joe Slovo residents will be moved if their appeal against the eviction order by Judge President John Hlophe is unsuccessful. The Court accepted that this accommodation was far better than the existing accommodation in Joe Slovo. Must say, it looks rather cosy….
Maybe there is a reason why the inhabitants of Joe Slovo (pictures below) would not want to me moved 15 km further away to a souless dump from town to a place not accessible by train and hence much more difficult and expensive to travel to and from.
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