If the prosecution in Jacob Zuma’s corruption trial does not have a strong enough case against him, then charges should be withdrawn, an alliance of youth groups said on Wednesday.
”It does not take an intelligent person to arrive at the conclusion that their case is not very strong,” said South African Students’ Congress (Sasco) official Mandla Seopela at a media briefing by the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA).
He said his expectations for Monday’s start of the corruption trial were that the case either continue or be withdrawn. The state has filed an application to have the trial postponed.
”This expectation is not based on wishes, it is drawn on what is written in the law books,” said Seopela.
Sasco, the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL), the Young Communists League, the Congress of South African Students and other youth groups reiterated their call for a fair and speedy trial.
”The key element … is that when the state lays a charge against a suspect, those in authority of administering justice have at this point satisfied themselves that sufficient evidence has been gathered,” said ANCYL secretary general Sihle Zikalala.
The PYA questioned whether the National Prosecuting Authority’s case was based on reasonable grounds that there was a case or political expediency. — Sapa