ANC WELCOMES NPA DECISION TO DROP CHARGES AGAINST ANC PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA
The ANC welcomes the decision of the NPA to discontinue the criminal prosecution against Comrade President Jacob Zuma. This decision is a victory for the rule of law, decency and common sense - it is good for our nation, the ANC, and Comrade President Zuma's family. Comrade President has endured many years of relentless persecution from individuals with ulterior political motives. It is a matter of record that the NPA's failure to give Comrade Zuma his day in court was, a calculated strategy designed to frustrate the democratic will of the people who had voted for him. This was aimed at frustrating Comrade Zuma from becoming a President of the ANC and the country.
Comrade Zuma endured an ordeal that has never been experienced by any other citizen. For 8 long years he was subjected to trial by the media and in the court of public opinion, he was denied his constitutional right to equality, dignity, privacy, right of access to court and his right to an expeditious, fair and impartial trial in the court of law. The inhumane and undignified treatment that Comrade Zuma suffered at the hands of our state prosecutors was not only disgraceful it also brought our criminal justice into disrepute. Never again should we allow institutions of government to surrender their professional independence by engaging in parties and political battles. Never again should we allow persecution for one individual for such a long period of time.
The ANC has long cautioned our people that there was no case against Comrade Zuma; it correctly argued that he was also entitled to a presumption of innocent. We applaud the courageous decision of the NPA which is based on its exercise of professional judgement, the rule of law and prosecutorial independence. We urge all our people and the NPA to reject the naysayer and all who would unleash a vilification campaign against the NPA for narrow and shortsighted political gains.
The case was tainted from the start when the public prosecutor announced that there was a "prima facie case of corruption" against Zuma but that he would not prosecute because the case was "unwinnable". Judge Nicholson described this conduct as having brought our judicial system into disrepute. The NPA strategy was to use the case against Shaik as a trial by proxy against Comrade Zuma. In doing so, it denied Comrade Zuma his right to equality, dignity, privacy, presumption of innocence, fair trial and his right to access to a court to vindicate his rights.
Comrade Zuma was not the only casualty of this abuse of power. Our public institution, meant to protect citizens were deliberately rendered toothless and were too paralyzed to offer any assistance to Zuma. The public protector ruled that comrade Zuma was subjected to a selective prosecution in violation of his rights under Section 9 of the constitution and that his right to dignity and privacy were also violated. Sadly, the Public Protector's findings were ridicule and his recommendations as they relate to remedies for Comrade Zuma were ignored by both parliament and the executive.