KwaZulu-Natal African National Congress Premier Sibusiso Ndebele should refrain from attending a routine court appearance of former deputy president Jacob Zuma on Saturday, says Democratic Alliance KwaZulu-Natal leader Roger Burrows.
The party says that leading public demonstrations outside court would undermine judicial independence.
Zuma is due to appear at the Durban Regional Court on Saturday to face formally charges of corruption — but his trial is scheduled to be heard in July next year.
When he appeared in court last month noisy crowds voiced their support for Zuma and burnt T-shirts bearing the visage of President Thabo Mbeki.
They also, however, booed Ndebele while he was trying to address the crowd. Some called for the provincial finance minister, Zweli Mkhize, to address them instead.
Burrows, meanwhile, said: ”The Democratic Alliance trusts that this will not be another opportunity for Zuma to grandstand and believes that the African National Congress’s political leadership in KwaZulu-Natal needs to treat the occasion with the restraint required of a court hearing.
”It is necessary now that this leadership set an example to the ANC rank and file. Premier S’bu Ndebele should be saying loudly and clearly that Zuma has been charged and the legal processes must unfold with due respect for the integrity and independence of the courts and their judges.
”It is clear that leading public demonstrations by someone in the premier’s position amounts to undermining the very independence of the judiciary that our Constitution guarantees.
”It is completely inappropriate for the head of the provincial executive and his ministers to be involved in any such public demonstration, and it presents the world with the unsavoury spectacle of one part of the government apparently rejecting the legitimacy of another part.”
Burrows said: ”Zuma has been duly charged by the director of public prosecution, and the executive organs of state must accept the due processes of law, not participate in a noisy confrontation outside the court.” — I-Net Bridge