Suspended African National Congress Secretary-General Ace Magashule says former President Jacob Zuma is a law-abiding citizen who has always respected the country’s laws.
The former President was on Sunday expected to hand himself over to start serving his 15-month contempt of court sentence.
He has since launched two court bids to avoid going to jail and it is unlikely that he will be handing himself over. Magashule spoke to the media outside Zuma’s home in Nkandla in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
In the video below, Ace Magashule speaks to journalists:
This is the first time he was seen after the Constitutional Court decision sending him to jail.
A large number of people including, some members of Amabutho, ANC members and supporters have gathered outside the former president’s home.
The Amabutho are sung hymns, while ANC members and supporters chanted pro-Zuma songs.
Police were spotted patrolling the area with a few monitoring at a distance. Some supporters are not wearing masks, which is in contravention of the lockdown level 4 regulations.
Some of the ANC members came from other provinces.
EFF leader Julius Malema has warned both President Cyril Ramaphosa and Police Minister Bheki Cele to make sure that the country doesn’t see a repeat of the Marikana massacre in Nkandla.
“Ramaphosa and Bheki Cele should not think they will shoot our people the same way they did in Marikana. We are not part of what’s happening in Nkandla but no one who suffers from the interest of absolute power should use fire to kill our people in KwaZulu-Natal,” he says.
EFF leader Julius Malema does not agree with the sentence
He is expected to address his supporters on the Constitutional Court saga on Sunday afternoon.
