No ulterior motive or bid to unseat him – Jacob Zuma on Cyril Ramaphosa private prosecution
Former president Jacob Zuma has shot back at claims that his private prosecution of President Cyril Ramaphosa was brought with an ulterior motive and that he wants to see his successor unseated.
Zuma insists that his sole intention is to see Ramaphosa convicted and punished.
On Friday, Zuma filed an answering affidavit in opposition to the urgent interdict application Ramaphosa brought to halt the private prosecution, set to kick off on 19 January, pending an application to have it reviewed and set aside as unlawful.
Zuma accuses Ramaphosa of being an accessory after the fact in the crimes he accused State Advocate Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan of.
He alleges that Downer and Maughan leaked confidential medical information during the arms deal corruption trial, and that Ramaphosa failed to act on a complaint against the prosecutor.
Ramaphosa has argued that the private prosecution, brought a day before the start of the African National Congress’ (ANC) 55th National Elective Conference, is, in truth, a bid to unseat him.
However, Zuma has argued Ramaphosa cannot rely on an ulterior motive defence, and that this is not grounds for escaping prosecution.
In any case, the former president denies the allegations and has said he is the victim and that his ultimate goal is attaining justice against all those involved in his “deliberate humiliation”.
He has also slammed Ramaphosa’s argument that his appearance in the dock for this matter would adversely affect the public interest.
Zuma has also said the president “considers himself above reproach and that holding him accountable is tantamount to collapsing the country” adding that this pointed to “potentially despotic tendencies”.
The urgent interdict application is set down for hearing on 10 January.
–EWN
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