Former president Jacob Zuma had a nostalgic moment when he recorded an “address to the nation” on Thursday, promising to fight tooth and nail against the Constitutional Court’s order barring him from standing in the May 29 elections.
The apex court ruled on Monday Zuma was ineligible to stand for election because in 2021 he was found guilty of being in contempt of court and sentenced to a 15-month jail term without the option of a fine.
He believes the ConCourt’s decision has prevented him in his quest to fight for “ultimate freedom for black people”.
“I am in this world to free our people and make them have a better life than ever before, but again I was tackled by the legal people. Judges of the Constitutional Court have taken a decision that I cannot exercise my freedom [of contesting elections],” Zuma said.
The ConCourt justices who have studied law for years made a “wrong” judgment, Zuma insisted.
“I decided I will continue fighting in different ways to convince everyone I am right and the learned friends are not. The judges who have judged me in the past in a wrong way as well by saying I must go to jail,” he said.
‘I'm right, the learned friends are not’: Zuma promises to fight ConCourt
Image: Freddy Mavunda
Former president Jacob Zuma had a nostalgic moment when he recorded an “address to the nation” on Thursday, promising to fight tooth and nail against the Constitutional Court’s order barring him from standing in the May 29 elections.
The apex court ruled on Monday Zuma was ineligible to stand for election because in 2021 he was found guilty of being in contempt of court and sentenced to a 15-month jail term without the option of a fine.
He believes the ConCourt’s decision has prevented him in his quest to fight for “ultimate freedom for black people”.
“I am in this world to free our people and make them have a better life than ever before, but again I was tackled by the legal people. Judges of the Constitutional Court have taken a decision that I cannot exercise my freedom [of contesting elections],” Zuma said.
The ConCourt justices who have studied law for years made a “wrong” judgment, Zuma insisted.
“I decided I will continue fighting in different ways to convince everyone I am right and the learned friends are not. The judges who have judged me in the past in a wrong way as well by saying I must go to jail,” he said.
Jacob Zuma is not eligible to become an MP: Constitutional Court
“I am going to fight for my right until this country agrees freedom must be a complete freedom and not for some and oppression for others. A decision has been taken that I should not lead my party and I should not go to parliament. Our constitution, as I remember, says the majority rules. This means when the majority votes for Zuma to be president of this country, this country would say no.”
Zuma, fighting a corruption tag after the state capture commission chaired by chief justice Raymond Zondo linked him to looting of state departments, blamed “people in authority” of trying to make him look bad to the public.
“The people who are in certain authorities in South Africa have decided to tell a lot of lies about me. For example, they said I was the most corrupt in this country, but they have never produced any evidence as to what it is that I did wrong. The only thing I did in the country was to fight for freedom and democracy. It was a way of just saying they do not like Zuma.”
Zuma said he was starting afresh, away from the ANC “reputation”, by establishing the MK Party.
Watch the full speech:
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