The decision on whether to issue a formal arrest warrant for former president Jacob Zuma will be determined by the Constitutional Court, on Tuesday.
The apex court confirmed this in a tweet, where it noted that “attendance at this hand down will be limited to 20 members of the public, including the media.”
Jacob Zuma arrest: ConCourt set to make ruling
Proceedings into the Constitutional Court hearing, where the Zondo commission will be represented by Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, are scheduled to kick off at 10:00.
This is where it will be determined if Zuma, in his capacity as a crucial witness in the State Capture Inquiry, is guilty of being in contempt of court and if so, what the appropriate sanction is.
Ngcukaitobi, in his previous showing, had adamantly requested the apex court to institute a custodial sentence of no less than two years against the former president for his brazen defiance of the highest court on the land.
This punitive measure, Ngcukaitobi explained, was a fitting response to Zuma’s defiance towards the Constitutional Court’s decision to send him back to face questioning at the Zondo commission.
Even more, a two-year bid for Zuma would be good lesson for the gaffer, considering the scathing and outlandish claims he made about judges.
“There is no one who is entitled to say that the judges have ‘abandoned their green robes’. No one is entitled to say that some judges have received money from Mr Ramaphosa. No one is entitled to say that the Constitutional Court has become a threat to democracy. No one is entitled to say that the judgment of the Constitutional Court mimics the posture that has been adopted by the commission, which is designed to make unfair judgments against Mr Zuma,” Ngcukaitobi exclaimed.
The outcomes of Tuesday’s judgment will determine the direction of the pendulum’s swing. Many of the former president’s supporters have made it abundantly clear that no law enforcement official will be allowed to breach the Nkandla homestead without retaliation if indeed, he is found guilty and ordered to prison.