South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has called its top decision-making body, the national working committee, to a meeting on Tuesday evening “to consider matters pertaining” to the charge brought against former Deputy President Jacob Zuma.
In a statement, national spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said the ruling movement would issue a comprehensive statement on Wednesday.
Zuma appeared in court in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning to face a charge of rape.
Earlier on Tuesday the ANC issued a short statement on Zuma’s arraignment, saying simply it “noted” the charge.
Ngonyama said then under a headline “ANC statement on charges against ANC deputy president” that: “The African National Congress has noted this morning’s developments with respect to charges against ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma.”
Following his arraignment, Zuma suspended himself from participation in “all leading structures of the ANC”.
Zuma, who is also facing charges of corruption related to the government’s arms deal resulting from his relationship with his friend and former financial advisor Schabir Shaik, claimed he was innocent of the rape charges.
He had continued in his role as deputy president of the ANC despite the allegations of corruption, for which Shaik was found guilty.
After Zuma appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court, he was subsequently released on R20Â 000 bail.
He said he had voluntarily decided to suspend his participation in the ANC’s national executive committee, national working committee and national deployment committee and all official meetings for the duration of his trial.
However, he would carry on with the general activities of the ANC, and the suspension did not affect his position as ANC deputy president, he revealed.
In his statement, Zuma once again cited what he believed to be prejudicial media coverage of the rape case against him, which first emerged last month. A 31-year-old Aids activist and reported family friend has accused him of raping her, while the former deputy president has argued that they had consensual sex.
“My appearance in court comes after four weeks of intense and distorted media reports on this issue, even before the police investigations began in earnest,” he said. “I wish to state clearly that I am innocent of these charges.
“I am deeply disturbed that what is purported to be evidence has been led in the media. This has severely influenced public opinion on this matter, causing great prejudice to me.
“Yet again, as with the corruption case, the media has passed judgement and this I find truly offensive and regrettable. It has become a trend for the media to disregard our enshrined constitutional rights of the presumption of innocence, dignity and human rights.”
Now that the matter was before court, he urged the public and media to respect the judicial process and “desist from trying this matter in the court of public opinion”.
“I am mindful that these allegations have affected many in our country, and I, more so than anyone else, have a full understanding of this. I therefore appreciate the fact this matter is now before court and I am confident that it will be brought to its finality,” he concluded.
Earlier the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that Zuma had been officially charged with rape.
In a statement released by spokesperson Makhosini Nkosi, the NPA said: “After due consideration of the facts in the relevant case docket, the National Prosecuting Authority has decided that Mr Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma be arraigned in the Johannesburg High Court on a charge of rape.”
The trial has been set down for hearing from February 13, 2006. – I-Net Bridge