Prosecuting JZ will waste his time

[blunomore]

Pietermaritzburg - Time meant to be devoted to running the country will be wasted in court if ANC front-runner Jacob Zuma becomes South Africa's next president, a political analyst said outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Wednesday.

"One only hopes for a speedy resolution of this case. If it continues to drag on, it will take a lot of energy away from Mr Zuma and his group [when they should be] devoting their time to the affairs of the state, and it's not a good thing," Professor Ufo Okeke Uzodike told journalists.

In the likely event of Zuma's becoming president, it would not be positive for the country if he spent a "substantial" amount of time in court.

Zuma's trial could take place if his motion for a permanent stay of prosecution, to be made on August 25, failed.

This meant he would face his court cases after the election, which the ANC was expected to win.

Uzodike said Zuma was not the only president to appear in court.

"It's quite common for such high-profile political heads to be having legal battles.

"Whether it would be embarrassing for South Africa depends on what happens in court," he said.

- SAPA

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2464067,00.html

What do you think about this?

I suppose it will indeed waste a lot of his time if he became President and had to appear in court regularly and prepare for such appearances.

However, I am more in favour of a viewpoint that supports the rule of law. I do not want a President over whose head there will always be a question mark: was he guilty or not? I think it should be decided once and for all. To use the position of presidency as an excuse for not facing justice, is problematic to me.

Furthermore, today outside the court, JZ vigorously maintained his innocence. Fair enough, any accused is allowed to maintain his innocence and is in fact considered so until proven otherwise, BUT someone professing their innocence does not make them so! That decision is best left in the hands of the court.

Your opinion?

 

[ToxicBunny]

All these people coming out with this opinion now are just daft and stupid... its like Julius's little thing about having a president in court will embarrass the country.

The idiot has demanded his day in court to prove his innocence, but he ducks and dives at each and every turn, that in and of itself for me just screams that he is guilty, an innocent person would welcome the court time to prove his innocence.

The ANC are an embarrassment to this country and having a leader like JZ is even more of an embarrassment

 

[Good Life]

JZ's and everybody elses time will be wasted because he will just be equitted like the previous times.

 

[waynegohl]

Is JZ being pushed into this role as president of the country or does he actually believe that he is the right man for the job?

what i mean is if enough people tell you that you are perfect for the job you are gonna believe it some day.

is he maybe not a puppet and someone or some group with a bigger agenda not doing this to get him in power knowing full well that he can be bought over?

 

[ToxicBunny]

He's already proven that he's more than susceptible to corruption, even with small sums... (and don't go on about this hasn't been proven in a court of law etc etc, his financial adviser was paying for his homestead and the shaik family got the sweet end of a lot of guavamint details)

Having him as a president will hurt this country in the international arena, and given the economic crisis that the world is going through at the moment... thats def something we don't want to have happen.

 

[ZA.Schmidt]

For the love of Almighty Allah... Zuma is NOT going ANYWHERE! Pushing the issue will only cause the ANC to butcher the constitution and justice system even further. And for all that, what will we have achieved? Nothing.

There's no shame in admitting defeat and moving on.

 

[pos(t)er]

It's unfortunate that there have been some precedents set on this(presidents not being prosecuted whilst in office), by European countries like Italy and France.

 

[BBSA]

You must be naive if you think Zuma is going to attend to the affairs of the state once he is President. He will more likely spend his time and energy to enrich himself and please his 5 wives.

 

[Necuno]

1 - become president
2 - amend constitution: no president can be charged

far from the truth ?, i wouldn't put it past them...

 

[MacNabs]

Cant believe that this monkey is actually in line to be president. Only in sa can someone who faces fraud and corruption charges be in line to be president. What a banana republic sa has become. Best he spend most of his time in court then because its sure as hell better than him spending his time running this once fine country into the ground.

 

[kingmonty]

1. JZ will spend a minimal amount of time in the dock, and the rest his lawyers will delay the case endlessly.
2. word is that the ANC is readying legislation that will outlaw it for a president of the country to be tried in a court.
3. By the time the constitutional court actually does sit on this, chances are there will be a whole bench of new concourt judges, and I wouldn't be surprised to see John Hlophe in the big chair.

Jacob Zuma won't serve any time.

 

[Sash]

And this is the best ANC candidate they can muster...

 

[Albereth]

The Zuma idiot was out proclaiming his innocence. He told his mass of fan boys (all 100 of them) that the law said you were innocent until proven guilty.

Actually there is only a presumption of innocence. A presumption doesn't make you innocent. Innocence is a matter of fact that is proven in the court process. Or there are technical reasons or reasonable doubt for not finding him guilty.

He cannot say that he is innocent until proven guilty. He can say that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. And for that very reason he should not be running for president. And if the ANC believe that he is the right choice, stick him in as an MP and then recall whoever gets the top dog position once the court case is over AND Zuma is found innocent.

But of course that'll never happen. Too much ego and there is no way on God's earth that Zuma is innocent,

 

[maestro_za]

Don't count out the power of political pressure.

I'm not convinced that he's innocent of the rape case either ... but he was found not guilty.

If the court has the balls, they should lock this crazy man away. Plain and simple!

 

[JungleBoy]

All these people coming out with this opinion now are just daft and stupid... its like Julius's little thing about having a president in court will embarrass the country.

The idiot has demanded his day in court to prove his innocence, but he ducks and dives at each and every turn, that in and of itself for me just screams that he is guilty, an innocent person would welcome the court time to prove his innocence.

The ANC are an embarrassment to this country and having a leader like JZ is even more of an embarrassment

There's a flaw right there. One can never prove one's innocence.

 

[JungleBoy]

The Zuma idiot was out proclaiming his innocence. He told his mass of fan boys (all 100 of them) that the law said you were innocent until proven guilty.

Actually there is only a presumption of innocence. A presumption doesn't make you innocent. Innocence is a matter of fact that is proven in the court process. Or there are technical reasons or reasonable doubt for not finding him guilty.

He cannot say that he is innocent until proven guilty. He can say that he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. And for that very reason he should not be running for president. And if the ANC believe that he is the right choice, stick him in as an MP and then recall whoever gets the top dog position once the court case is over AND Zuma is found innocent.

But of course that'll never happen. Too much ego and there is no way on God's earth that Zuma is innocent,

I don't think the statement applies when the accused is refering to himself.
other people should presume him innocent. But he knows if he is innocent or not even before he appears in court.

I magine if you were the judge making that last statement. DO you think he could still have a fair trial?

 

[TheHiveMind]

I agree. He cannot become president while he is being proesecuted. But how exactly do they turn that into "drop the charges"? Quite obviously the better solution is to drop him from the running.

 

[semiautomatix]

If he really was a patriot and not an self-enriching joke he would step back for a term in favour of Mothlante until there was nothing distracting him from his job as head of state.

But its not about South Africa but merely his own selfish agenda.

What happens if he is found guilty? Can a president still run the country from prison?

 

[Albereth]

There's a flaw right there. One can never prove one's innocence.

Don't be silly, of course one can.

Besides, the process is about the state proving his guilt. It doesn't make him innocent, but he may be able to prove innocence in the process.

Simple example about being able to prove innocence. You are charged with some crime. In the court you happen to produce a TV footage of you as a spectator at golf tournament in the USA at the time the crime was committed.

Of course you now have to explain to Mrs JungleBoy why you said you had work to do that day and couldn't visit her mother.

 

[TheHiveMind]

I don't think the statement applies when the accused is refering to himself.
other people should presume him innocent. But he knows if he is innocent or not even before he appears in court.

I magine if you were the judge making that last statement. DO you think he could still have a fair trial?

Ofcourse he could, even if every judge KNOWS he is guilty, he would still get a "fair" trial in his view. He would pay them off, or threaten their families. Pretty sure he has been doing that already to some extent, thats why there is a deadlock.
Don't start thinking he wouldn't if there was any REAL chance of him going to jail..