The aggressive conduct of members of the South African Police Service VIP protection unit at the home of former deputy president Jacob Zuma on Thursday is ”cause for great concern”, said the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) on Friday.
In a statement DA justice spokesperson Sheila Camerer said: ”From reports it appears that had it not been for the cool-headedness of members of the Scorpions unit, the situation could have turned violent.”
She was referring to the raid by the Scorpions on Zuma’s Johannesburg home ahead of Zuma’s appearance in court on corruption charges.
”The Scorpions had every right to enter the premises as they were in possession of a valid search warrant, a fact acknowledged by Zuma’s attorney. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), of which the Scorpions are a unit, has absolute discretion in terms of the law to investigate and prosecute cases and for this purpose to conduct a search and seizure intervention.
”The fact that VIP members ordered the Scorpions off the premises and then later forced them to surrender their weapons smacks of arrogance and an alarming belief that they are above the law. Cowboy behaviour of this type cannot be tolerated under any circumstances, let alone when it could lead to a violent confrontation between two different law enforcement agencies.
”The incident also raises questions about whether a former deputy president is still entitled to VIP protection. Around-the-clock security of the sort and on the scale which Mr Zuma appears to enjoy is hugely expensive and ultimately it is taxpayers who will have to foot the bill.”
She said the DA has asked parliamentary questions in this regard and was currently awaiting a reply from the Minister of Safety and Security.
The SAPS management must ensure that the message gets through to the members of Zuma’s VIP protection unit that they are not above the law and that such conduct will not be tolerated, said Camerer.
Meanwhile, the response of the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) to the raids was unfortunate, the presidency said on Friday.
”I think the remarks are unfortunate,” presidential spokesperson Murphy Morobe told the SAFM radio station.
”It sounds like they were said at the heat of the moment. I’m sure that in quiet reflection and consideration, even Cosatu would agree that the democracy in this country has never been stronger.”
The trade union body called the raids on the homes of Zuma, some of his associates and at offices in the Union Buildings and Tuynhuis, ”a full-frontal attack on our revolution itself”.
Calling the raid a ”brutal persecution” of Zuma, Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said it was clear the raids were a direct response to a call to President Thabo Mbeki that corruption charges against Zuma be dropped.
”The political prosecution of Jacob Zuma risks plunging our new democracy into turmoil,” Vavi said.
”It has already begun to divide our movement. We are in consistent contact with the African National Congress leadership and will seek to discuss this state of affairs as soon as we get the opportunity.”
Morobe said some of the comments made relating to the raids were discouraging and disappointing, ”because I do not think it served the course of justice to invoke revolutionary rhetoric when the issue here relates to the pursuit of certain legal procedures”.
Zuma will go on trial in October on two charges of corruption which emanated from the fraud and corruption conviction of his former financial adviser Schabir Shaik. Shaik is appealing the convictions.
He said that all the presidency did at the Union Buildings was to adhere to a court injunction which allowed evidence collection by state prosecution authorities.
There was no need for the government or the president to engage in public debate on the matter and that they had the right to express their feelings through their structures.
”They have the democratic right to do so.” – I-Net Bridge, Sapa