Abrahams duty-bound to proceed with prosecution against Zuma: DA

Last week’s North Gauteng High Court ruling that fraud and corruption charges against Jacob Zuma “were erroneously dropped” are a “golden opportunity for advocate Shaun Abrahams to show his independence”.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday said that Abrahams‚ the National Director of Public Prosecutions‚ “is duty-bound to proceed with the prosecution” and “give Jacob Zuma a court date”.

The party’s James Selfe said the “DA was successful in its review application to have the decision to drop the charges set aside on the grounds that the decision was borne from undue political considerations and was therefore irrational in the first place”.

“Specifically‚ the North Gauteng High Court's full bench found that ‘the envisaged prosecution against Mr Zuma was not tainted by the allegations against (former Scorpions head Leonard) McCarthy. Mr Zuma should face the charges as outlined in the indictment’‚” Selfe added.

“The DA has always maintained that the president may not be guilty but that he have his day in court as is consistent with the rule of law and due process. The president himself has stated on numerous occasions that he wants his day in court.” Selfe said that the Spy Tapes‚ in which McCarthy was implicated‚ “provided the convenient excuse” to drop the charges‚ but that‚ he added‚ “has now been set aside”.

Earlier on Tuesday‚ the Congress of the People (Cope) said it “welcomes the call by Jeremy Cronin for charges against Zuma to be reinstated so that the president can clear his name”.

Cronin‚ the deputy general secretary of the South African Communist Party‚ reportedly told The Mecury newspaper that “as things stand the charges should be reinstated”.

The paper further quoted Cronin as saying: “As the African National Congress (ANC) has correctly said‚ ‘justice delayed is justice denied’.”

Cope’s Dennis Bloem said: “It now remains for all the other ANC leaders to express similar support. It is the right thing for them to do. “Matters of this nature are best dealt with quickly and expeditiously. They must not drag on. We need to demonstrate to ourselves and to the world that rule of law operates unfettered in South Africa. More than that‚ we must show that all are equal before the law.”