Thorns on Zuma's side
Decemebr 30 2017 By Abiodun Giwa
Not a good time for President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. The Nkandla case of using public fund for massive facelift to his house is refusing to go away.
According to latest news from a South African court has ruled that the country's parliament should have held President Zuma accountable over misuse of public fund.
Handing down the Constitutional Court ruling, Judge Chris Jafta said: "We conclude that the assembly did not hold the president to account. The assembly must put in place a mechanism that could be used for the removal of the president from office."
But the court said it could not intervene on how parliament determined the mechanism and that it had no power to order an impeachment.
According to a report in the BBC, the court's judge said it was the parliament's duty parliament's duty to set out rules for impeachment in the case proceedings,but it remains unclear whether this will lead to any impeachment.
Now that bthe court has made its pronouncement in a the hearing of a case instituted against the parliament for failing to begigin impeachment proceedings against Zuma, it is not clear whether the ruling will be bindoing on the parliament to revisit the case in obedinece to the court ruling.
Coming after the loss of his effort to control the succession program as he prepares to step down as president, with his former wife's loss of the ANC's presidency to the Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, the latest court ruling seems like setting the stage for ousting of Zuma before his time will be up to step down in 2019.
It is certainly not recommended way to end a tenure in public office or leave office. After a rolling fight of all sorts of allegations of corruption and efforts to shake them off, the fight seems to be approaching a bend of no return.
The question on people's lips is whether this is how Zuma will be fighting to protect his image all the way to 2019, when he is expected to relinquish office to newly a new president (yet to be elected,) or whether the ANC will seek away to ease him out of office gracefully, without recourse to disgracing to enable the party unite and prepare for the 2019 election.
But if the parliament chooses to accept the court's verdict, Zuma may be roasted with an impeachment proceeding, to end his time in office as South African president. But the battle will be tough, knowing very well that Zuma will not go down without a robust fight.
Moreover, curious observers see the court indcitment as against both Zuma and the parliament. Therefore, it is believed that Zuma has a partner to raise a legal challenge against the court's verdict.
According to latest news from a South African court has ruled that the country's parliament should have held President Zuma accountable over misuse of public fund.
Handing down the Constitutional Court ruling, Judge Chris Jafta said: "We conclude that the assembly did not hold the president to account. The assembly must put in place a mechanism that could be used for the removal of the president from office."
But the court said it could not intervene on how parliament determined the mechanism and that it had no power to order an impeachment.
According to a report in the BBC, the court's judge said it was the parliament's duty parliament's duty to set out rules for impeachment in the case proceedings,but it remains unclear whether this will lead to any impeachment.
Now that bthe court has made its pronouncement in a the hearing of a case instituted against the parliament for failing to begigin impeachment proceedings against Zuma, it is not clear whether the ruling will be bindoing on the parliament to revisit the case in obedinece to the court ruling.
Coming after the loss of his effort to control the succession program as he prepares to step down as president, with his former wife's loss of the ANC's presidency to the Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, the latest court ruling seems like setting the stage for ousting of Zuma before his time will be up to step down in 2019.
It is certainly not recommended way to end a tenure in public office or leave office. After a rolling fight of all sorts of allegations of corruption and efforts to shake them off, the fight seems to be approaching a bend of no return.
The question on people's lips is whether this is how Zuma will be fighting to protect his image all the way to 2019, when he is expected to relinquish office to newly a new president (yet to be elected,) or whether the ANC will seek away to ease him out of office gracefully, without recourse to disgracing to enable the party unite and prepare for the 2019 election.
But if the parliament chooses to accept the court's verdict, Zuma may be roasted with an impeachment proceeding, to end his time in office as South African president. But the battle will be tough, knowing very well that Zuma will not go down without a robust fight.
Moreover, curious observers see the court indcitment as against both Zuma and the parliament. Therefore, it is believed that Zuma has a partner to raise a legal challenge against the court's verdict.
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