Duduzane Zuma’s court appearance a victory for the Dube family and Gerrie Nel – AfriForum will not be intimidated
The civil rights watchdog AfriForum says that Duduzane Zuma’s appearance in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court today on charges of manslaughter is not only a victory for the Dube family, Adv. Gerrie Nel and AfriForum, but also for everyone in the country who support the principle of equality before the law.
According to Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was forced by AfriForum’s willingness to privately prosecute to then make a turnabout and indeed prosecute Zuma Jr. This after the NPA initially decided to not prosecute Zuma Jr. in connection with a vehicle accident which took place on 1 February 2014 on the M1 highway in Gauteng and in which Pumzile Dube, a young female passenger, died on impact. “It firstly remains the NPA’s duty to prosecute offenders and when the possibility of private prosecution is there and forces the NPA to do its job, AfriForum views this as a victory,” Kriel adds.
According to Kriel the decision to prosecute Zuma Jr. is also a victory for the Dube family, who can now after more than four years finally look on as justice is served. Kriel praised the Dube family for their willingness to demand that prosecution takes place and indicated that AfriForum will continue to assist the family in this case.
Regarding the attempt from Black First Land First (BLF) to physically and verbally try to intimidate him outside the court, Kriel says that AfriForum will not be intimidated by a small group of fringe figures who are funded by the Guptas. “In fact, the BLF’s actions make AfriForum even more determined to see to it that justice is served for the Dube family,” says Kriel. According to him the majority of people in the country cannot associate themselves with the intolerance and racism that the BLF represents and AfriForum will not give further publicity to the BLF by laying charges against them with the police.
Statement issued by Kallie Kriel, AfriForum CEO, 12 July 2018
