Publication: Cape Times Issued: Date: 2006-02-09 Reporter: Angela Quintal Reporter: Reporter:

Lekota Blasts DA 'Concern' about ANC Assault on the Constitution and Judiciary

 

Publication 

Cape Times
Date

2006-02-09

Reporter

Angela Quintal

Web Link

www.capetimes.co.za

 

It was because the ANC respected the judiciary *1 that Jacob Zuma was no longer the country's deputy president and that senior party leaders were even locked up behind bars *2, according to defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota.

Leading the government's charge on day two of the State of the Nation debate, Lekota responded to DA leader Tony Leon's concern that the independence of the judiciary was under threat and that the ANC was orchestrating an assault on the constitution.

Lekota said it was the ANC as the majority party which voted the current constitution into law. The ANC had also repeatedly committed itself to the principle of an independent judiciary.

In an apparent reference to the jailing of Allan Boesak, among others, as well as the conviction of high profile leaders such as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Tony Yengeni who are appealing, Lekota said: "We have respected each and every one of the decisions of our country's courts going so far as locking behind bars senior and very respected cadres and leaders of our organisation where the courts found them guilty."

Lekota noted that for too long South Africa had suffered under white minority rule "which had no respect for the independence of the judiciary".

The apartheid regime had manipulated the judiciary in order to disenfranchise sections of the population.

The ANC had a full understanding of how democracy operated and it was for this reason that it would not create precedents that would "come back to haunt us or our children". Lekota urged some in the opposition to avoid the tendency to apply the principle of respect for the judiciary selectively.

"Innocence before proven guilty must not be set aside, on occasions when we are impatient to discredit members of/or opposing parties."

In his address, minister in the presidency Essop Pahad said South African had a strong constitution and an independent judiciary and that neither was under attack from the ANC, the government or the president.

Yet it was the DA which had "sought an assault on the constitution when it asked for the re-introduction of the death penalty," Pahad said.

Smaller opposition parties also had their say yesterday.

Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder expressed concern about the fact that the willing-seller-willing-buyer method of land reform would be reviewed.

It sent a negative message and created an instrument in the hands of "future small dictators in South Africa to destroy the agriculture and the economy".

However, PAC leader Motsoko Pheko believed the ANC was not going far enough and again warned that the land question was a timebomb unless it was resolved timeously and realistically.

"We cannot live in mikukus and vezunyawo houses and watch helplessly as our land is sold to foreigners like ice- creams on a hot summer day. We must legislate against the sale of land to foreigners," he told MPs.

With acknowledgements to Angela Quintal and Cape Times.


*1  The ANC might respect the judiciary, but the conduct of the ANC government demonstrates without a shadow of a doubt that it has very little respect *3 for many of the laws or the process of the law.

*2  Not Tony Yengeni who was convicted about 4 years ago.

While everyone has a constitutional right of access to the courts, including the Supreme Court of Appeal, this is ridiculous.


The A to F of Mbeki's Cabinet

Mail & Guardian
23 December 2005
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=259797&area=/insight/insight__national/

*3  The Most Bumptious Political Statement of 2005

Mosiuoa Lekota
Minister of Defence
Grade: D+ (2004 B-)

"Though sometimes his heart does not seem to be correctly situated: in March, he made himself front-runner- for the most bumptious political statement of the year. Referring to the ongoing controversy around the arms deal, he told Parliament: "It has been an important lesson. Never again will we expose the government to questioning- in the manner it was questioned. *4"

How's that for delivering the real lowdown on accountability?"


*4  The most polite and gentle questioning by the liar and stooge Selby Baqwa SC during the Public Phase of the Arm Deal investigation.

And then the other two stooges allowed Lekota and Mbeki and Erwin and Manuel to change the key findings the draft Arms Deal investigation report - to exonerate themselves.

It makes Richard Nixon look like an angel.

It makes Boesak, Winnie and Yengeni look like cherubs.