The African National Congress (ANC) will not change the Constitution to protect presidential front-runner Jacob Zuma from corruption charges, party youth leader Julius Malema said on Thursday.
”We’re not going to agree to any changing of the Constitution to accommodate an individual. This is the Constitution of the people of South Africa. It will never be amended to suit an individual,” Malema said.
”We don’t think our president will be in and out of courts when he becomes president of the republic … But what is wrong with the president of the country being in and out of court?” asked Malema.
”There is nothing wrong. He’s a citizen of this country. If there is any issue, he must answer. For as long as it’s still an allegation, we don’t see anything wrong, not at all.”
Malema’s statement was confirmed by ANC spokesperson Carl Niehaus.
Niehaus said the ruling party would not make any legislative changes to prevent a sitting president from facing charges.
”There’s no intention of changing the Constitution whatsoever,” said Niehaus.
”We will seek a legal answer, not a political solution.”
Speculation on the possibility of amendments to the Constitution has been rife this week following a Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling against Zuma on Monday.
The SCA found there was no legal obligation on the National Director of Public Prosecutions to invite Zuma to make representations in his fraud and corruption case.
Its ruling overturned part of a Pietermaritzburg High Court judgement, handed down last September, which in effect halted Zuma’s prosecution.
But the SCA ruling means that Zuma will again have to face charges of corruption, fraud, money laundering and racketeering.
A day after the judgement, the ANC’s Parliamentary caucus asked party lawyers to review the National Prosecuting Authority Act, fuelling speculation that the ruling party was considering amending the Constitution. — Sapa