The ANC Youth League plans to launch its own legal initiative if ANC president Jacob Zuma fails in his bid to have his corruption trial scrapped.
Zuma is due to appear in the Pietermaritzburg High Court in a week’s time. The ANCYL, with the Young Communist League (YCL), various other youth organisations and the ANC Women’s League, pledged on Thursday to mobilise South Africans in support of Zuma.
Youth league president Julius Malema pledged that the league will launch its own legal “initiative” if Zuma’s application for a permanent stay fails, but he was thin on details about what it will be.
“We will leave that to our legal teams. We will launch our own initiative immediately [after the ruling is given].”
The league and the MK Military Veterans’ Association (MKMVA) have sought legal advice on how to help Zuma in his trial, which they insist is a political trial and therefore cannot be fair.
The leagues, coming together, will consolidate reports from the ANCYL and veterans’ association and plan ahead to ensure that the trial does not prevent Zuma from becoming president of the country in 2009.
The group will launch a signature campaign in support of Zuma for his coming trial that is scheduled to begin on August 4. A night vigil is planned for the Sunday evening before the trial.
The organisations also lashed out at the Constitutional Court judges: “We are concerned about the fact that there is a belief that judges are without reproach and immune from criticism. We want to make it clear that as long as judges want to discuss political issues in shebeens and night clubs, they then cease to be judges and thus become part of us and will be roughly tackled. The manner in which the secretary general of the ANC was scolded and criticised for engaging the judiciary on its credibility is unfair.”
The YCL’s secretary, Buti Manamela, said the youth movement is going from door to door in “villages, townships and the suburbs” to get the nation on their side.
According to Malema even “the soldiers” — referring to Umkhonto weSizwe — will be mobilised in support of Zuma. “Then you will see what militancy means.”
Malema predicted that Zuma’s Constitutional Court bid will fail because the judges had already ruled against him.
He called on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to stop the probe into whether Cape Judge President John Hlophe attempted to influence Constitutional Court judges. “We call on the JSC to stop this process immediately.”
A march to the Constitutional Court is planned for later this month.
“Now we say, come 2009, [Zuma] will become president [of the country] and only death can stop us from ensuring that this happens.”
Malema underscored ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe’s attack on the Constitutional Court judges. “These days you can’t even say that this person is as sober as a judge because they bump into walls.”
He also said that the Hlophe matter was a way for the judges to “morally justify” their ruling.
“The Constitutional Court has ruled against Jacob Zuma and now they want to morally justify their ruling.”
The Student Union Christian Action pledged its support and said it would lobby members of the religious fraternity to support Zuma.