'Zuma’s day has arrived': ActionSA and DA welcome ConCourt ruling

The DA and ActionSA have welcomed the Constitutional Court ruling on Thursday compelling former president Jacob Zuma to testify before the state capture inquiry in February.

“The judgment is a victory for the rule of law in SA, once again serving to highlight the independence of our judiciary. This is a central pillar of our hard-won democracy.

“ActionSA believes upholding the rule of law is a basic requirement for us to build an inclusive and prosperous future for all South Africans. No country can function, and no economy can grow, in a state of chaos and anarchy,” the party said.

Justice Chris Jafta ruled that Zuma should appear before the inquiry on February 15 as per his summons. Should the former president fail to appear without sufficient cause, he would be in violation of the Commission’s Act and order of the highest court in the land.

The judgment said Zuma had made it clear from September last year that he had no intention of testifying before the inquiry and “dared the chairperson to take whatever steps he considered appropriate”.

The DA welcomed the judgment and said the inquiry could not have concluded its work without Zuma and “his crooked cronies”.

The party said Zuma should face jail time should he fail to testify before the inquiry.

“He has been employing insidiously devious strategies for more than a decade to avoid accountability and 'his day in court'. He has employed the same strategy to evade testifying at the state capture inquiry, despite demanding on many occasions that his name be cleared.

“This application was a last desperate attempt to avoid public accountability and the apex court has delivered the final word. Zuma’s day has arrived and there is no corner left in which he can cower,” the DA said.

It described the judgment as a victory for South Africans and for the inquiry.