FUL and HSF must hold their horses - Zuma

17 November 2016

Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma says the application for him to suspend NPA head Sean Abrahams by Freedom Under Law and the Helen Suzman Foundation is not urgent.

Zuma filed papers in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.

He says in the papers the two civic organisations must say why the matter should be resolved urgently, arguing that "the fact that an applicant wishes to have a matter resolved urgently does not render the matter urgent".

"Urgency relates to form and not substance and is not a prerequisite to a claim for substantive relief."

The organisations wanted Zuma to suspend Abrahams and advocates Sibongile Mzinyathi and Torie Pretorius and institute an inquiry into their fitness to hold office.

Zuma argues that they must wait until he has made a decision on whether to suspend Abrahams.

He wrote to Abrahams, Mzinyathi and Pretorius on Tuesday asking them to provide reasons why they should not be suspended or why there should not be an inquiry.

"This decision, even though it is executive action, can be reviewed. Therefore the applicants will have, if good grounds exist, a real remedy once I have exercised my power... should I do so," Zuma said.

This article first appeared on News24, see here.