ANC Bosses Give Zuma a Mouthful Lungani Zungu and Zukile Majova
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Tuesday 9 March 2021, 0145 Real News. Scrolla.Africa ANC bosses give Zuma a mouthful Lungani Zungu and Zukile Majova Former president Jacob Zuma was forced to have a sit down with his legal team after meeting the ANC top brass. During a virtual meeting on Monday, the ANC top six advised Zuma against undermining the Constitutional Court and pushing the country towards a political standoff. Zuma promised to consider the advice of the ANC bosses and later discussed his strategy with his advocate Muzi Sikhakhane. ANC secretary general Ace Magashule said: “It was indeed a good meeting, very constructive and positive to both the country and the African National Congress leadership and its members.” Magashule said the top six, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, have agreed to give Zuma “space” to consult his lawyers. “Comrade Zuma made a very extensive presentation on what has prompted his decision not to appear before what you term the Zondo commission.” Magashule said Zuma told them that he believed that he had been subjected to unfair persecution and prosecution for over two decades. At the centre of the meeting was Zuma’s defiance of the Constitutional Court, telling him to appear before the State Capture Commission of Inquiry, chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. Zuma ditched the commission and dared law-enforcement to arrest him. Scrolla.Africa understands that the ANC sought legal counsel, which advised that the contempt of court charge would fall off if Zuma appeared before the Zondo commission. Zondo wants Zuma to be sentenced to two years imprisonment for defying the Constitutional Court order. Zuma missed Monday’s deadline to file his response to the commission’s request that he be jailed for contempt of court – in which they argued it would set a bad precedent if the country’s former president refused a court order. Already another witness subpoenaed by the Zondo commission - controversial businessman Auswell Mashaba – for refusing to appear at the commission, prompting Zondo to speculate if it was caused by Zuma’s refusal. Mashaba ran Swifambo Rail, which won a R3.5 billion contract from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) for new trains. This 2013 contract resulted in trains “too tall” trains for South Africa’s existing rail network, and was overturned by a 2017 court order that found it was corrupt. "Harm will be done to the administration of justice if this award is not set aside from the onset. Corruption will triumph if this court does not set aside the tender‚" said Judge J Francis when he set aside the contract. Similarly, argues the Zondo commission, justice will be harmed if Zuma isn’t punished for refusing a lawful court order. Picture source: @DZumaSambudla Brave teen uses rapist’s own gun to shoot him dead Doreen Mokgolo A heroic 15-year-old girl used her rapist’s own gun to shoot him in the head. The teeanger was allegedly dragged into the open veld near Wedela on the West Rand by the armed man, who forced her to undress and then attacked her. "While the suspect was busy raping her, she fought back and managed to get hold of the firearm and shot the suspect on the upper body,” said Captain Eddie Boboko, the West Rand District Police spokesperson. "She then managed to run back home to seek help from her mother and police were called to the crime scene.” The suspect, estimated to be 25 to 30 years old, died of his injuries at the scene. The firearm was missing and police are still looking for it. Boboko added that the deceased was charged with rape and an inquest is been investigated. "The victim will be undergoing counselling," he added. Picture source: Indian Today Hero aunt’s case dropped for killing her 1-year-old niece's rapist Doreen Mokgolo The murder case against a young Eastern Cape woman, who killed a man allegedly trying to rape her 1-year-old niece, has been dropped. The court case was struck off the roll this week, pending a decision by the Director of Public Prosecution about it. The 23-year-old woman discovered the man allegedly trying to rape her niece inside the family kraal in Qaga, a village near King Williams Town. Scrolla.Africa reported last year how the young woman fought with the alleged rapist and hit him with an iron rod during the scuffle. He died of his injuries in the kraal. The young woman was represented pro bono (for free) by a legal team of all-female lawyers. Picture source: Twitter Fikile Mbalula takes the fight to Zuma Zukile Majova It appears that the Cyril Ramaphosa faction of the ANC has unleashed Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to defend the president by fighting his detractors on social media. This week Mr Fix, as he likes to call himself, took the fight straight to Jacob Zuma, saying the former president does not deserve the praise he is receiving from his supporters. He then went for Public Protector Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, saying: “Mkhwebane is a hired gun not the public Protector”. Mkhwebane has since opened a case of crimen injuria and contempt at the Brooklyn Police Station. When Zuma’s Twitter supporters called Mbalula a “political prostitute” who benefited under Zuma's regime and was now speaking ill of the former president. “Am not a ‘political prostitute’ am saying stuff you don’t like, Big difference with Malusi Gigaba. Besides I’ve got files on you criminals go f***k yourself am ready for you.” ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte has indicated Mbalula should be disciplined by the ruling party. In the absence of the ANC Youth League, factions battling for the control of the ANC are using bigger bulldogs to fight for their interests. This is playing out on social media. Normally members of the ANC Youth League or the Women’s League are used by those with presidential ambitions to intimidate or embarrass their opponents. These ANC structures – as well as the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) – claim to be autonomous. But they are clearly taking sides. This is a strategy Jacob Zuma used in the run up to the ANC elective conference in Polokwane in 2007. Ironically, Zuma’s faction used the ANCYL – then led by Fikile Mbalula, and later by tea companion Julius Malema – to intimidate and publicly insult senior politicians seen to be supporters of Zuma’s enemy, now former president Thabo Mbeki. Also ironically, Zuma himself was once Mbeki's bulldog – along with the late former ANCYL president Peter Mokaba – in the mid to late 1990s. For months Ramaphosa's efforts to unite the ANC and fight corruption have been undermined by the MKMVA, led by Zuma loyalist Carl Niehaus. Picture source: @MbalulaFikile Loved and Lost: Peter Matlare (1960 – 2021) Sizwe Sibiya “Covid-19 has robbed us of another professional in his prime,” said Professor Thuli Madonsela of the passing of respected businessman Peter Matlare on Sunday. He was 61. Matlare was deputy CEO of banking giant Absa, who had been former CEO of the SABC, Tiger Brands and Primedia; as well as a senior executive at Vodacom South Africa. Former public protector Madonsela tweeted she was “shocked and saddened” by his death and offered “heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues”. She added: “May his soul #RIP”. Radio personality Redi Tlhabi tweeted about her “many happy memories [of] Peter: music, food & hilarious stories”. She said: “Your intellect & wisdom will be missed.“ Absa Group chief executive Daniel Mminele announced Matlare’s death on Sunday, saying he was a “seasoned corporate executive, a good leader, inspirational, and passionate about his work, always strongly invested in the success of our continent.” Peter Bambatha Matlare was born on November 30, 1960 in Durban. He received a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from the University of York, in Canada. After running media group Primedia, he moved to the SABC from 2001 to 2005. He was the last CEO to run the state broadcaster profitably, leaving to join Vodacom as an executive director. He took over as CEO of Tiger Brands in 2008 until 2015, and then joined Absa in 2016, where he had served as a non- executive director since 2011. He focused on broadening Absa’s reach in Africa, and in 2018 he also became the CEO of Absa’s regional operations. When he was appointed, then CEO Maria Ramos said: “Peter is a seasoned executive that brings a wealth of skills and leadership experience across multiple industries”. While he was at Tiger Brands, the company was found guilty of fixing the price of bread – 12 years before Matlare’s appointment, when Nick Dennis was CEO. After Tiger Brands was fined R99 million for its part in the bread fixing scandal, which included other food producers, Matlare “earned respect for nursing the group's image back to health” the Mail & Guardian reported five years after his 2008 appointment. Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said: “His passing is a great loss to South Africa when the nation is confronted with the task of rebuilding an inclusive post-Covid- 19 economy that requires seasoned and experienced leaders across the society.” Picture source: @GovernmentZA I don’t want my neighbours to hate me! Kabelo Tlhabanelo Nongazi Mthombeni fears the stench of the pools of sewage around her house will make her neighbours hate her. For the past three months, Nongazi from Freedom Square in Mangaung, Free State has been pleading with the ward councilor to have the problem fixed, but her pleas have fallen on deaf ears.