A Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) statement on Monday, apparently threatening violence if the case against former deputy president Jacob Zuma is pursued, was strongly criticised by the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday.
The statement by Cosatu in KwaZulu-Natal that there would be ”blood on the floor” of the high court if corruption charges against Zuma are re-instituted by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is a shocking disgrace, DA spokesperson Sheila Camerer said.
By making this threat, Cosatu is not only acting in contempt of court, but also against the provisions of the Constitution, which stated that: ”No person or organ of state may interfere with the functioning of the courts”.
The preamble to the NPA Act confirmed this requirement when it states that legislation should ensure that the ”prosecuting authority exercises its functions without fear, favour or prejudice”.
”Clearly, Cosatu KwaZulu-Natal’s statement has contravened both of these principles,” Camerer said.
”While we have unfortunately come to expect such grossly unacceptable behaviour from the African National Congress Youth League, an organisation claiming to represent the serious interests of thousands of workers, such as Cosatu, has no place making irresponsible and populist statements that threaten to undermine the course of justice.”
When Zuma’s case was struck off the Pietermaritzburg High Court roll last year, it simply indicated that the state was not yet ready to proceed, not that Zuma had no case to answer.
Consequently, if the NPA has now completed its case against Zuma, they have every right to re-institute whatever charges they believe he might have to answer, and the course of justice should be allowed to proceed unhindered, said Camerer.
Zuma had publicly stated that he wants his day in court. So far, he has not had the opportunity to clear his name as he so clearly would like to do.
”Why is Cosatu now making idle threats that aim to take this opportunity away from Mr Zuma?”
The ministers of safety and security and justice should ensure, with protection if necessary, that the NPA and the courts can proceed with their duties without fear, favour or prejudice, and ensure that Cosatu’s grossly irresponsible threat could not be carried out, she said. — Sapa