'We don't want to see a confrontation': Zikalala calls for calm after six-hour meeting with Zuma

KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala has called for cool heads to prevail, expressing relief that the Constitutional Court decided to hear an urgent application by former president Jacob Zuma to have the order that he be jailed rescinded.

Zikalala was briefing the media at Zuma's Nkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday afternoon after a meeting with the former president that lasted more than six hours.

Zuma was supposed to have handed himself over for 15 months behind bars on Sunday for refusing to testify before the state capture commission of inquiry.

“We came here to pay [a] courtesy [visit] following the judgment, and secondly to discuss the approach that he [Zuma] thinks is appropriate in this situation. We did so because we appreciate that the judgment has divided society and divided the people — especially people in the province — as we have seen people around here mobilising ... saying our president must not go and comply with that judgment,” said Zikalala, who was with provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli.

Some Zuma supporters called them “sell-outs” during the address.

“What has transpired, is that the former president has made an application to the ConCourt, and the ConCourt has agreed to engage and look at his submission. We believe that will give us time and create a proper platform where these issues will be discussed properly and finalised.

“We don't want to see a confrontation between people, and see a situation that will lead to any form of violence, so we believe that the approach that has been taken... is going to help us and ensure the matter is engaged properly in the proper platform, which is the Constitutional Court,” he said.

The ConCourt issued directions on Saturday, saying it will hear on July 12 Zuma's urgent application to rescind its order sentencing him to jail for 15 months for contempt of court.

Zuma made the urgent application to rescind the ruling on Friday.

He was supposed to have handed himself over to authorities on Sunday but it is believed this will be delayed by the ConCourt application.

The contempt order against Zuma was for failing to comply with the Constitutional Court’s earlier order in January to appear at the state capture commission and give evidence as per the commission’s lawful summons. 

On Friday, Zuma also urgently applied to the high court in Pietermaritzburg to stay the orders that required him to turn himself in by Sunday, and to interdict the police from arresting him pending his application to the Constitutional Court.