Little chance of Zuma becoming President again
The wish by uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party supporters that former President Jacob Zuma return to the Union Buildings to lead the country again, will not be realised since the Constitution may not allow him.
The Star reports this was the view of constitutional law expert Professor Pierre de Vos, who said yesterday he did not believe the MK party would get enough votes to win the elections for Zuma to become President, but another reason could be that the Constitution would not allow him back into the Union Buildings.
Complicating matters was that Zuma did not finish his second term as he left government in 2018 just before his term ended in 2019, he said.
The Constitution was clear that Presidents serve only two terms, but it was silent on what happens when the President does not finish the second term, he said.
‘The reasonable understanding of the silence rule is “no”,’ De Vos said.
‘It is difficult to give a straight answer … the Constitution states that if one takes over the Presidency before the other one’s term expires those years would not be counted as a term of the new one, but it is silent on what happens if the President does not finish the second term. The Constitutional Court will have to clarify the matter, but the understanding was that silence means no which could mean Zuma cannot be President again.’
Meanwhile, ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe yesterday described Zuma as a ‘rebel leader’ similar to some militia dictators on the African continent.
The Mineral Resources & Energy Minister said some other African leaders also started rebel movements out of greed and a lust for power like Zuma.
The Citizen reports Mantashe compared Zuma to the former leader of Angola’s Unita rebel group, Jonas Savimbi, as well as former CAR President François Bozizé Yangouvonda.
‘When Presidents don’t want to give away power, half the time they come up into (sic) rebel movements,’ Mantashe explained.
Mantashe, who served as secretary-general during Zuma’s presidency, said Zuma led the ANC for two terms without contest, ‘he must appreciate now that it is time for the next leader’.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
