Yet evidence of a plot against Mr Zuma, who has always denied all charges, does not necessarily mean he is innocent. As Louis Harms, deputy chief judge of the Supreme Court of Appeal, said in January when he overturned a lower-court ruling that had quashed charges against Mr Zuma on technical grounds, “a prosecution is not wrongful merely because it is brought for an improper purpose. It will only be wrongful if, in addition, reasonable and probable grounds for prosecuting are absent.” If it is to preserve its integrity and that of the justice system, the NPA has to show that this indeed was the case.
A recent opinion poll suggests that the stream of accusations and leaks against Mr Zuma has led many South Africans to conclude that he is no angel. He makes whites, who comprise less than a tenth of the electorate, distinctly queasy. But the same poll also suggests that his popularity is undented, at least among blacks, who still seem to support him overwhelmingly. For the poor majority in South Africa it is bread-and-butter issues, such as housing, health and education, that matter most, not the niceties of the law. - The Economist
SHOOT: Excellent article. Man cannot live by the law alone, but can he live without it?
A recent opinion poll suggests that the stream of accusations and leaks against Mr Zuma has led many South Africans to conclude that he is no angel. He makes whites, who comprise less than a tenth of the electorate, distinctly queasy. But the same poll also suggests that his popularity is undented, at least among blacks, who still seem to support him overwhelmingly. For the poor majority in South Africa it is bread-and-butter issues, such as housing, health and education, that matter most, not the niceties of the law. - The Economist
SHOOT: Excellent article. Man cannot live by the law alone, but can he live without it?
From the outset, Mr Zuma, the country’s deputy president until he was sacked in 2005 by its then president, Thabo Mbeki, has claimed to be the victim of a political conspiracy aimed at blocking his chances of becoming president. Now the NPA is reported to have received firm evidence of collusion between its former officials and Mr Mbeki in prosecuting a man who was one of his closest friends and colleagues for three decades but whom he had come to regard as his most dangerous rival. On the face of it, the case against Mr Zuma, who has presided over the ANC since defeating Mr Mbeki for the party post just over a year ago, looks grave. Yet when his friend and financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, was charged in 2003 with corruption and fraud over a $5 billion government arms deal, the NPA announced oddly that, though it had a “prima facie” case against Mr Zuma, it did not feel it had a “winnable case”, so it would not prefer charges.
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