Ramaphosa labels private prosecution proceedings against him as ‘abuse of legal processes’

[File Image]: President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the first sitting of the National Assembly on the occasion of his election as the President of the Republic of South Africa.

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Skhangiwe Mthiyane

16 December 2022, 09:01 [SAST]

Reading Time: 3 minutes

President Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected what he terms as the abuse of legal processes and labelled the private prosecution bid by former President Jacob Zuma as substandard.

The former President on Thursday instituted a private prosecution bid in the Johannesburg High Court.

He has accused Ramaphosa of being an accessory after the fact in the alleged crimes committed by Advocate Billy Downer in breaching the provisions of the National Prosecuting Authority Act.

Downer is the prosecutor in Zuma’s Arms Deal corruption case in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

The President’s Spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, says there has not been a nolle prosequi certificate issued by the NPA.

“President Ramaphosa rejects with utmost contempt Mr Zuma’s abuse of legal processes and perversion of the private prosecution provision. Mr Zuma has not provided a certificate of non-prosecution with charges in the name of President Ramaphosa. A summons served to the President is hopelessly substandard and demonstrates absolute disregard for the law. President Ramaphosa does not interfere in the work of the NPA nor does he have the power to do so. The president responded to Mr Zuma and took appropriate and legally permissible action.”

JG Zuma Foundation to institute private prosecution proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa

The Jacob Zuma Foundation say they have instituted private prosecution proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa with the criminal offence being accessory after the fact in the crimes committed by amongst others Advocate Billy Downer, namely breaching the provisions of the NPA act.

The Foundation’s spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi says he can confirm this and will release more information at a later stage.

“The purpose of me coming through tonight is simply just to make sure that no one thinks that this is a bogus statement. Just to confirm that this is legit this is what it is.”

Manyi says he still needs to read through the 51-page summons: “In terms of the detailing stuff, I won’t be able to do it tonight because I myself still need to read through the 51-page summons as it were. But I think suffice to say, President Ramaphosa has got a date in court in the new year.”

Manyi added: “I think for tonight, we probably have to leave it there and in terms of the detail the fact that you have got there he’s an accessory after the facts is already the point that we are making and we are going with that at this point.”