Article by: Dumisane Dube
The Zuma Foundation has released a statement on the constitutional court ruling of Former President Jacob Zuma who was sentenced to jail for defying a court ruling to appear at the Zondo commission of inquiry early this year.
In an unprecedented ruling, the Constitutional Court on Tuesday convicted Zuma for “egregious” and “aggravated” contempt of court.
The foundation described the judgment that handed down the 15-month jail sentence as “emotional”, “angry” and “not consistent with our constitution”.
In a statement the foundation said: “Our Patron has never believed that he is above the law or the Constitution, the supreme law of the land. On the contrary, he has always insisted that he must be treated like every other citizen, and his rights to equal protection of the laws must be respected and protected. Indeed, our Patron has expressed his doubts about the lawfulness of the Zondo Commission, the biased manner in which it is being conducted, and the fact that it has been transformed into a “slaughterhouse” and a forum in which all kinds of unsubstantiated and defamatory allegations have been made against him. He sought the recusal of DCJ Zondo on the basis of bias, followed appropriate legal channels, and lodged a judicial review application in the High Court.”
According to the foundation, instead of allowing a lawful judicial review process to unfold in the High Court, Deputy Chief Justice and chair of the State capture commission Raymond Zondo ignored the review court process and lodged an urgent application in the Constitutional Court seeking to hold Jacob Zuma in contempt despite exercising his rights of access to courts.
The verdict triggered a show of support from Zuma’s supporters all around the country, some of whom made their way to Zuma’s homestead.
The police have been ordered to arrest the former president if he doesn’t turn himself by Sunday.
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