There are fears that should Jacob Zuma be re-imprisoned, we will see the sort of violence that nearly crippled our economy almost exactly two years ago.
Who can forget the burning buildings and large-scale looting in KZN and the loss of life? It’s not something to be taken lightly, especially considering that there has been a spate of truck torching over the last two weeks.
Was it random acts of criminality, or coordinated to spark similar violence?
We’ll have to wait for the court cases of the arrested suspects to find out. But it is in the light of these fears that the EFF’s Julius Malema spoke out against the Constitutional Court ruling that may see Zuma back behind bars one of these days.
This is where I question the principles of the matter. While I mostly agree that Zuma is old and frail and should be spared the tjoekie, I also believe that Malema is focusing on the wrong end of the issue.
I understand his view that leaving Zuma be will spare us the possible outbreak of violence from his supporters, but that is not the sort of pressure we should be entertaining.
Malema claims to speak on behalf of a young, disenfranchised electorate and this was an opportunity for him to rise above mere politicking.
Leaving Zuma to live out the rest of his life in peace is a secondary argument that should take a backseat to the glaring concern of violent intimidation of the judiciary and the country as a whole.
This is a dangerous precedent that Malema should’ve (and still can) tackled decisively, instead of going for the popularity stakes and trying to win over hard-line Zuma supporters.
Leaders like Malema need to educate the ignorant and cannot be seen to support any violent actions that aim to subvert a court judgement, especially when it comes to political leaders.
It opens the floodgates to any future group holding the country hostage one day, because they are unhappy with how a court has treated their leader, whether that leader is guilty or not.
If he wanted to peddle his influence, then he should’ve quietly brokered a presidential pardon for Zuma, while teaching his supporters the value of diplomacy and respecting the rule of law.
That’s leadership. Not playing into the popular opinion of the moment.
breinou@gmail.com