Quote of the week
Universal adult suffrage on a common voters roll is one of the foundational values of our entire constitutional order. The achievement of the franchise has historically been important both for the acquisition of the rights of full and effective citizenship by all South Africans regardless of race, and for the accomplishment of an all-embracing nationhood. The universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy. The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and of personhood. Quite literally, it says that everybody counts. In a country of great disparities of wealth and power it declares that whoever we are, whether rich or poor, exalted or disgraced, we all belong to the same democratic South African nation; that our destinies are intertwined in a single interactive polity.
August and Another v Electoral Commission and Others (CCT8/99) [1999] ZACC 3
Zuma indicted?
My usually reliable sources tell me that Jacob Zuma was indicted today on several charges stretching beyond the fraud and corruption charges brought against Schabir Shaik and extending to racketeering and tax fraud. Apparently Mr Zuma’s lawyer, Roger Hullay has confirmed this. It will be reported tonight on ETV news.
The timing is curious. In the absence of any news on charges being brought against Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi, the haste with which charges are being brought seems to suggest that the NPA and (perhaps its political masters) were scared that Mr Zuma and the newly emboldened ANC NEC would try and stop charges being brought against him. They felt that time was of the essence and thus had to move before the ANC NEC met for the first time.
It does create new legal and political trouble for Mr Zuma as it suggests that the raids on his premises and that of his lawyers has uncovered new evidence of possible wrongdoing on his part. Like Al Capone who was eventually brought down by tax evasion charges, Mr Zuma might yet be brought low not by the original charges of fraud and corruption but the ancillary charges now added to the charge sheet.
Am I the only one to see the hand of Presidnet Thabo Mbeki in all of this? With the principled Vusi Pikoli out of the way and with the hapless, buffoonish, Mokoted Mpshe, acting as head of the NPA, it might well be that the president has placed some serious pressure on him to charge Zuma as soon as possible. No stories here of the MInister of Justice not being available to receive information from the NPA about possible charges. And why is it being done on a Friday between Christmas and New Year.
For those who believe in the conspiracy against Zuma this will be a final straw in giving proof of that conspiracy. But of course, even if there is a conspiracy and even if we all believe there to be one, if Mr Zuma is convicted, he will not be able to become President and Mr Mbeki would have “won” the battle (if not the war) against the Zuma camp.
All in all, a peculiar development. And you heard it here first!
