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The pending arrest warrant for former President Jacob Zuma has the potential to shake up the country and that is what he wants to rekindle his waning political career.
Political experts agree that Zuma knew the consequences of challenging Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo.
They believed that he would use the affair to once again present himself as a victim of political persecution by the post-Nasrec leadership of Cyril Ramaphosa, whom he accused of using the judiciary or state apparatus to wage battles between factions of the ANC.
Political analyst Professor Lesiba Teffo said that while the court order against Zuma held him accountable for defying the Zondo commission, it would have political ramifications for the country and the ANC.
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“There is not much credibility left for Zuma.
His image suffered a severe blow over the years. He himself has destroyed his legacy.
“But given its political position in society, this development has the potential to shake up the country,” Teffo said.
Given Zuma’s follow-up, the expert said, his supporters could interpret the pending order against him as another attack on the former president.
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Political analyst Dr. Ralph Mathekga, author of the books When zuma leaves Y Ramaphosa’s turn, said that Zuma’s action was a political move because he legally had “no leg to stand on.”
“It has been very clear from the beginning that Zuma has been defying the commission, defying it at all times.
“But Zondo has thrown the book at him here.
“At the same time, Zuma’s strategy doesn’t make sense legally, but it makes political sense.
“Politically, it is challenging the process and trying to say that there is an arbitrary exercise of abuse of power by the commission in the sense that it targets certain people. That is the political message that seems to be resonating in the Zuma move.
“I say this because, legally, he would have trouble maintaining his position in court,” Mathekga said.
The analyst alluded to Zuma’s habit of blaming his opponents for the criminal problems that he himself caused.
He once accused former President Thabo Mbeki of plotting his prosecution for corruption emanating from the multi-million dollar arms deal, insisting that the former president turned to state agencies against him.
His supporters of radical economic transformation already implied that Ramaphosa was using state resources to fight factional battles in his party. They referred to the corruption prosecutions of Zuma and ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule.
Teffo said that, along with the recent order issued against Magashule, Zuma’s order could revive and fuel infighting between factions within the ruling party, which could prove very costly for the party.
The two sides have not seen each other since the ANC’s national elective conference in 2017, despite pledging to promote party unity.
“His followers could read this in their own way to say that Zuma was being politically unfairly persecuted.
“This is an accusation that Zuma himself made against Mbeki and the suggestion is that this is what is happening now with Zuma,” Teffo said.
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