POLITICAL NEWS - Perplexed South Africans are waiting to hear why the Electoral Court has decided to allow 81-year-old former president, Jacob Zuma, to be a parliamentary candidate for the uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) party in the upcoming national elections on 29 May.
The court did not explain what it based its decision on after overturning the Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) decision that Zuma could not be a candidate, saying the full judgement would follow later.
The IEC excluded Zuma as a possible candidate based on the fact that he was handed a 15 month prison sentence three years ago and that the constitution clearly states that a person who has been handed a prison term of more than 12 months in the past five years, is not allowed to serve in parliament.
However, Zuma’s council, Dali Mpofu argued that the IEC does not have the jurisdiction to make a decision about Zuma’s candidacy and that only the National Assembly can do so.
This is a great victory for MK and Zuma less than two months before the national elections at the end of May.
Impact on election
Much-respected TV and radio host, journalist Stephen Grootes writes in his opinion piece in Daily Maverick, Jacob Zuma's Electoral Court victory makes final weeks before SA's Elections 2024 alive with possibilities (dailymaverick.co.za), that, because of the court’s decision, MK could do better than previously presumed.
“This will force other parties to energise their campaigns. In particular, the ANC, the IFP and the EFF will have to try as few voters as possible to MK,” he writes.
“For the DA, there is probably only an upside to this. There is evidence that a Zuma-led ANC helped to increase their share of the vote — the prospect of Zuma once more having political power might well do the same for it again.”
Game of chess
Grootes ends his article by saying, “Once again, Zuma is almost unsurpassed in understanding our society. There are likely to be more surprises in store.”
And Grootes’ words may well prove prophetic.
After all - Zuma is known as an excellent chess player and, whatever you may think of the man, his strategic skills are admirable.
In 2009 all South Africans would have done well to heed the then newly elected president’s advice, when he told youngsters to play chess. “Chess develops strategic thinking which is an important element of life,” Zuma said.
Imagine where South Africa would have been today, 15 years later, if that level of strategic thinking had been applied for the common good.
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