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.
From the Mail & Guardian online:
BACK TO TOPPresident Robert Mugabe said on Friday that “only God” could remove him from office, as Zimbabwe’s opposition considered pulling out of next week’s run-off election amid escalating violence.
“The MDC will never be allowed to rule this country — never, ever,” Mugabe told local business people in Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo, referring to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. “Only God who appointed me will remove me — not the MDC, not the British.”