Johannesburg – Former president Jacob Zuma’s backers are planning to use his court appearance on Tuesday as a show of force against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Sunday World understands that Kwa- Zulu-Natal will be the launch pad of well-orchestrated strategies by members of the ANC faction calling itself radical economic transformation (RET) forces to challenge Ramaphosa.
KwaZulu-Natal RET chairperson Nkosentsha Shezi said the ANC had left Zuma out in the cold.
“We have exhausted all available internal mechanisms pleading for the ANC to support Zuma’s release, all we hear is rhetoric. We have been telling Ramaphosa’s leadership that we are not prepared to listen to anything they say until they release the people’s president,” he said.
This week saw the mobilisation for Zuma begin, with several influential KwaZulu-Natal regions pledging support for the former president. The regions that launched what they call the programme of action for Zuma’s release include Moses Mabhida, eThekwini, Musa Dladla, Harry Gwala, General Gizenga and eMalahleni.
Zuma’s lawyers are expected to square off with state advocate Billy Downer at the Pietermaritzburg High Court to argue for the prosecutor’s recusal.
The former head of state is serving a 15-month contempt of court sentence at Estcourt correctional facility relating to his refusal to give evidence at the Zondo Commission.
Nhlakanipho Ntombela, provincial ANC spokesperson, said: “The ANC in the province has not sanctioned any member or region to att end Pietermaritzburg High Court on Tuesday. We are taking drastic steps against all those who continue to drag the name of the organisation in the mud,” said Ntombela.
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