Africa-Press – South-Africa. Durban – PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that the Top Six of the ANC will soon meet with former president Jacob Zuma over his defiance of the Constitutional Court order to testify at the state capture commission.
Ramaphosa on Friday said that Zuma had agreed to meet with the ANC’s top leadership.
“He has articulated his reasons for not wanting to go there,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the meeting would not have a bearing on him.
“No. The important thing for me as president of the republic is to insist that all of us must abide by the rule of law and the Constitution of the republic. That is the sum total of what I stand for as the president of the republic. There is no backing down in as far as that is concerned,” said Ramaphosa.
He said the message in the meeting would be clear – that no one was above the law.
Zuma has been refusing to obey the court ruling and this led to the Zondo Commission asking the Constitutional Court to issue a two-year jail term on the former president.
The commission said direct imprisonment would be the appropriate sanction against Zuma.
Zuma has been at loggerheads with the commission for the last few months and last year he walked out of the commission.
Ramaphosa would not mention the date of the meeting with Zuma, but said it would happen soon.
The president also came out in defence of the judiciary after it was attacked.
“Judges take an oath to be faithful not only to the Constitution, but to our country. They are an independent arm of the state and I will continue to argue that if there is any accusation that is to be made against the judiciary it must be substantiated. If there is any evidence, let it be put before the bodies that deal with this matter,” said Ramaphosa.
He said if there was any evidence against the judges it must be tabled before the relevant structures, including the Judicial Service Commission.
This comes after EFF leader Julius Malema launched a scathing attack on the judiciary during the debate on the State of the Nation Address.
Ramaphosa said people with evidence of wrongdoing against judges should bring it forward.
He said no one was above the law, including judges and the president.
“All of us as South Africans, from president to any citizen, must abide by the law, by the Constitution because if we don’t there is lawlessness in our country,” said Ramaphosa.
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