Carl Niehaus ‘step aside’ at Zuma rally has the internet in stitches

Suspended former military veterans movement president Carl Niehaus's seat next to Jacob Zuma at a rally on Monday caused a stir on social media, with users joking he had been asked to “step aside”.

Niehaus was seated next to the former president on stage at the rally after Zuma's private prosecution of state advocate Billy Downer and News24 journalist Karyn Maughan was heard in the Pietermaritzburg high court and postponed to February.

He was later asked to vacate the seat to make space for ANC provincial chairperson Siboniso Duma. 

The moment was captured on camera and shared on social media, where users joked that Niehaus had been a “victim” of the party's controversial step-aside policy.

At its 2017 conference, the ANC resolved that members facing allegations of corruption and crime must step aside. Party president Cyril Ramaphosa announced last year leaders charged with corruption and wrongdoing must voluntarily step aside within 30 days or risk being suspended.

The resolution has been criticised and challenged by some within the party, who claim it is being used as a political tool to purge members.

Speaking on SABC News recently, co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said the step-aside resolution should be amended at the upcoming December conference. 

“Where the problem lies is that the country’s laws say we are innocent until we are proved guilty. The law of the ANC almost says we are guilty until proved innocent,” she said.

“The problem with step-aside is that you are charged and then you step aside, but three years on you are still waiting for the trial to start. What kind of justice is that? Justice should be they investigate you once they’ve charged you and the trial must start within months.”

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