Jocob Zuma - The African Mirror

Feb

2021

Zuma’s vicious response to Zondo’s jail threat

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER HOURS after an unprecedented announcement that he may face a jail term, the former South African president came out with guns blazing, attacking Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the judiciary and reiterating his decision not to appear before the commission probing state capture. The commission, chaired by Zondo, announced after Zuma failed to attend the hearing as summoned that it would approach the Constitutional Court and seek a conviction as well as a prison term. Zuma has however, made it clear that he was ready to face the consequences of his decision. “Now that it seems that…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Zuma’s abuse of South Africa’s spy agency underscores need for strong civilian oversight

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

IF people who work for the government tell us our safety depends on us not knowing what they do, we might suspect that they wanted to cover up wrong-doing. Unless, it seems, they work for state security agencies. STEVEN FRIEDMAN, Professor of Political Studies, University of Johannesburg South Africa’s media are awash with shock at “bombshell” revelations about the country’s security services at the hearings of a commission of inquiry into “state capture”. Testimony shows that the State Security Agency, which is meant to provide the government with intelligence on domestic and foreign threats, was used to fight factional battles…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Jacob Zuma’s defiance – in his own words

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

JACOB ZUMA I have received an overwhelming number of messages of support from members of the African National Congress and the public at large following the recent extraordinary and unprecedented decision of the Constitutional Court where it effectively decided that I as an individual citizen, could no longer expect to have my basic constitutional rights protected and upheld by the country’s Constitution. With this groundswell of messages, I felt moved to publicly express solidarity with the sentiments and concerns raised with me about a clearly politicized segment of the judiciary that now heralds an imminent constitutional crisis in this country.…