‘You'll hope for a long time’- Carl Niehaus responds to claims Zuma and MK Vets should be jailed

16 February 2021 - 08:00 By kyle zeeman
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Carl Niehaus, spokesperson for the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association, has laughed off claims that members of the organisation should be jailed alongside Zuma.
Carl Niehaus, spokesperson for the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association, has laughed off claims that members of the organisation should be jailed alongside Zuma.
Image: Jackie Clausen

Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) spokesperson Carl Niehaus has laughed off suggestions that members of the organisation should be jailed alongside former president Jacob Zuma.

The association had vowed to “protect” Zuma from any attempts to arrest him, after Zuma's no-show at the state capture inquiry on Monday.

Zuma was compelled by a Constitutional Court order to attend, but his lawyer Eric Mabuza said he was still awaiting the outcome of a review for deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo to recuse himself as chairperson of the inquiry.

Zondo said the commission would petition the Constitutional Court court to issue an order for Zuma's imprisonment over the defiance.

Taking to Twitter on Monday morning, Niehaus slammed those who kept asked him if Zuma would appear before the commission.

“Don't they have ears? Nxamalala has spoken loud and clear. He will not be there, and gave his reasons. Finish en klaar! Hands off President Zuma!," he tweeted.

One follower claimed that Zuma was “afraid to appear before the very commission he put together”, and was hiding behind “an illegitimate geriatric private army”.

“Shame. I hope you all get thrown in jail,” the user added.

Niehaus laughed off the suggestion, saying the follower would “hope for a long time”.

He had earlier said that people would have to “wait and see” what would happen should authorities try arrest Zuma at his Nkandla homestead.

Addressing the media on Monday as part of the Gauteng branch of the Radical Economic Transformation (RET) forces grouping, Niehaus slammed Zondo and claimed the commission was created to only target Zuma.

“His [Zondo] bias towards and constant targeting of president Zuma is blatantly clear. The manner in which he called press conferences to attack president Zuma when he was unable to attend the hearing of the commission because of illness, while he treated [public enterprises minister] Pravin Gordhan with the utmost deference and respect when he also did not attend the hearing, was shocking,” said Niehaus.


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