While all eyes are locked in at Nkandla, President Cyril Ramaphosa has made comments on former president Jacob Zuma’s recent run-in with the state capture inquiry.
Ramaphosa speaks out on recent Zuma antics
The timer is ticking on Zuma’s fate as a free man. Should he follow through with his total disregard of the ConCourt’s orders, he may be in deeper trouble for committing a criminal act.
Ramaphosa and the ANC have, until now, avoided the big question of their allegiance to the former president. Secretary-General Ace Magashule dodged and dangled himself out of declaring his position on the matter.
“Leave president Zuma alone. Just leave him. What has Zuma done? President Zuma is president Zuma. I can’t talk for president Zuma. He is a South African with his own rights, so you can’t want me to talk for president Zuma.”
Ramaphosa was faced similar questions, according to reporter Andisiwe Makinana. The president offered a fuzzy response on his thoughts about Zuma’s recent state capture statements.
“I saw it as something that is in process. He has expressed his own thoughts and views that he doesn’t want to go to the commission. This is a matter that I’m sure he’s going to give much more thought to because he is being counselled by a number of people and a number of organizations that the constitutional structure that he contributed so much to needs to be given consideration,” he said.
‘Give Zuma time and space to think about this’
No condemnation followed these comments. The president remained loyal to his party member and pleaded with the media and the public to allow Zuma time and space to properly consider his precarious position.
“I’m sure in his own mind, in his own time he will think about all this. I would like to say let’s give former president Jacob Zuma time and space to think about this, and also to hear what other people are saying …and in giving consideration to this, I’m sure he will come to a conclusion. I prefer to leave it there,” he said.
Ramaphosa confirmed that the matter was part of the agenda of an ANC meeting that will take place soon. Surely, it will be nothing that will draw the frenzy of the tea party he wasn’t invited to.
Playing out unnerving at the Nkandla homestead, EFF leader Julius Malema has joined Zuma and — reportedly — ANC NEC member Tony Yengeni, in an urgent meeting that hadn’t concluded at the time this article was published.