{"id":54946,"date":"2024-05-20T22:36:06","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T22:36:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/20\/south-africas-highest-court-says-jacob-zuma-cant-serve-in-parliament\/"},"modified":"2024-05-20T22:36:06","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T22:36:06","slug":"south-africas-highest-court-says-jacob-zuma-cant-serve-in-parliament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/20\/south-africas-highest-court-says-jacob-zuma-cant-serve-in-parliament\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa\u2019s Highest Court Says Jacob Zuma Can\u2019t Serve in Parliament"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/20\/multimedia\/20safrica-zuma-01-tljq\/20safrica-zuma-01-tljq-facebookJumbo.jpg?fit=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"South Africa\u2019s Highest Court Says Jacob Zuma Can\u2019t Serve in Parliament\" title=\"South Africa\u2019s Highest Court Says Jacob Zuma Can\u2019t Serve in Parliament\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">South Africa\u2019s highest court on Monday ruled that former President Jacob Zuma was not eligible to serve in Parliament, a decision that may deepen political turmoil in the country just over a week before a crucial national election.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The decision threatens the political future of the 82-year-old Mr. Zuma, a former anti-apartheid hero who once led the liberation party, the African National Congress. Mr. Zuma had <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/10\/world\/africa\/south-africa-zuma-election.html\" title=\"\">a bitter falling out<\/a> with the A.N.C. last year after announcing he was supporting a new political formation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Constitutional Court, overturning a special electoral court\u2019s earlier decision, ruled that Mr. Zuma could not stand as a candidate in the May 29 election because of a past criminal conviction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Even though he cannot serve in Parliament, Mr. Zuma\u2019s face will still appear on the ballot next to his new party, uMkhonto weSizwe, or M.K., because he is registered as its leader, according to the Electoral Commission of South Africa. He will, however, be removed from the list of candidates nominated to represent the party in the National Assembly, the commission said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Zuma is a populist figure who attracts a devoted following, and his image could be enough to lift his party\u2019s fortunes and hurt the A.N.C. The A.N.C. is fighting to maintain the absolute majority it has held since the start of South Africa\u2019s democracy 30 years ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The M.K. party denounced the court\u2019s decision in a statement on Monday, calling the court\u2019s justices \u201c10 highly compromised and conflicted individuals\u201d who have too much power under the country\u2019s constitutional democracy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The party encouraged its supporters to give the party the majority it needs to overhaul South Africa\u2019s government. M.K. said that if it won two-thirds of the 400 seats in South Africa\u2019s Parliament, a nearly impossible feat for the fledgling party, it planned to install Mr. Zuma as president of the country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis heavily flawed and conflicted judgment is not the end but rather a pivotal moment affirming that the M.K. Party is the right choice for the Black poor and downtrodden,\u201d the party said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Some analysts said that sense of grievance could be a boon to Mr. Zuma and his party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI think he\u2019s going to ride on that and leverage it in terms of swaying support to his side,\u201d said Hlengiwe Ndlovu, a senior lecturer in the School of Governance at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Zuma <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/14\/world\/africa\/jacob-zuma-resigns-south-africa.html\" title=\"\">resigned from the presidency<\/a> in 2018 amid widespread protests over allegations of sweeping corruption within his government. Three years later, he was convicted and sentenced for <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/06\/29\/world\/africa\/jacob-zuma-prison.html\" title=\"\">failing to testify<\/a> at a public inquiry on corruption.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Zuma\u2019s attempted political comeback has created a big test for South Africa\u2019s young democracy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He became the first former president to serve prison time in post-apartheid South Africa after his arrest in July 2021, though <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/08\/11\/world\/africa\/jacob-zuma-released-south-africa.html\" title=\"\">he was released<\/a> on medical parole just two months into his 15-month sentence. The Constitutional Court later overturned his medical parole, but Mr. Zuma then received a presidential pardon from his successor-turned-political rival, Cyril Ramaphosa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The court\u2019s decision hinged on the length of Mr. Zuma\u2019s sentence. While he was granted a remission that reduced his time in prison, he had been sentenced to 15 months, which made him ineligible to run, the court decided.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">According to South African law, a person who has been convicted of an offense and sentenced to more than 12 months in prison cannot serve in the National Assembly. That applies to Mr. Zuma, Justice Leona Theron said, delivering the court\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Zuma is not \u201celigible and not qualified\u201d to stand for election until five years after the completion of his sentence, the justice added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">During a marathon court appearance on May 10, Mr. Zuma\u2019s lawyers tried to force the Constitutional Court justices to recuse themselves, arguing that the same justices who had sentenced him were ruling on his eligibility for Parliament. That argument was dismissed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, a lawyer representing the electoral commission, which had opposed Mr. Zuma\u2019s candidacy, argued that the law barring those convicted of a crime from running for a seat in the National Assembly \u201cserved to protect the public from lawbreakers now putting themselves up as lawmakers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Zuma\u2019s decision to lead and campaign for an opposition party had deeply unsettled South African politics. Founded in December, uMkhonto weSizwe has quickly become one of the most visible opposition organizations in an election in which a record 52 parties are vying for votes on the national ballot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">South Africans vote for a party instead of an individual, but M.K. appears to be banking on the appeal of a familiar face: Mr. Zuma\u2019s image is all over its campaign posters and T-shirts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The party has already gained a foothold in the KwaZulu-Natal Province, Mr. Zuma\u2019s traditional stronghold. Polls show that Mr. Zuma\u2019s party could play kingmaker in a coalition government in the province.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The party has attracted voters who are aggrieved by the governing A.N.C., but it has also eaten into the support of smaller opposition parties who have struggled to capitalize on the A.N.C.\u2019s waning support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Over the weekend, Mr. Zuma took his campaign to Soweto, once the heart of A.N.C. support in Johannesburg, South Africa\u2019s largest city, where his supporters filled a soccer stadium. Despite the legal setback, members of the M.K. party vowed to continue their campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt was a shock,\u201d said Lebogang Moepeng, a senior member of the M.K. party. After its win at the Electoral Court, the party was confident the Constitutional Court would find in its favor, he said, adding that the party was prepared for these challenges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt would have been na\u00efve of us to launch a party and not take stock of the risks,\u201d Mr. Moepeng said. \u201cLegal, political and otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Zuma\u2019s arrest and incarceration in 2021 set off deadly riots, and observers fear that his barring from Parliament could again lead to violence. But on Monday, the M.K. party urged its members to remain calm and refrain from violence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cOf course there\u2019s going to be mass discontent around it,\u201d because many will see the ruling as a sign that the courts are biased in favor of the A.N.C., said Moshibudi Motimele, a lecturer in political studies and governance at the University of the Free State in South Africa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">If people believe the courts are not independent, she added, they may think, \u201c\u2018We have to deal with things ourselves.\u2019 And in South Africa, \u2018deal with things ourselves\u2019 means violence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Mr. Ramaphosa, the current president and incumbent, said in a radio interview, \u201cI am not concerned about this instigating violence.\u201d He added, \u201cPresident Jacob Zuma should be the one person who should respect the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">John Eligon<!-- --> contributed reporting from Johannesburg.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/20\/world\/africa\/zuma-south-africa.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Africa\u2019s highest court on Monday ruled that former President Jacob Zuma was not eligible to serve in Parliament, a decision that may deepen political turmoil in the country just over a week before a crucial national election. The decision threatens the political future of the 82-year-old Mr. Zuma, a former anti-apartheid hero who once [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/05\/20\/multimedia\/20safrica-zuma-01-tljq\/20safrica-zuma-01-tljq-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1664,1625,3083,28603,3321,1730,6967,28604],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54946"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54946"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54948,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54946\/revisions\/54948"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}