In a surprising turn of events, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has voiced allegations that the current government led by President Cyril Ramaphsoa has allegedly orchestrated a plan to prevent former president Jacob Zuma from attending State of the Nation Address (SONA) this evening.
Speaking to the media, MKP parliamentary chief whip Mzwanele Manyi said it is suspicious that SONA is taking place on the same day Zuma appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court over the arms deal charges along French arms company Thales.
“It has been structured to exclude him. In this country, how does the left hand not know what the right is doing? Why would his court date be fixed on the same date as SONA?” He asked.
Manyi claimed that the people who run the country had engineered it so that Zuma should not be part of SONA in 2025.
“They have succeeded in engineering him out of this fake address.”
He accused the judiciary of ensuring Zuma was not at tonight’s SONA.
Manyi said February 6 was long advertised and the judiciary should have known about it, but made two appointments for Zuma.
“He is busy with the judiciary. He can’t be at two places at the same time. He was expected to be here but the judiciary has refused that he should be here,” he said.
However, Manyi said: “He is not going to miss anything. It is going to be a fake address anyway.”
He said the “real” SONA should have been addressed by MK party leader John Hlophe, but claimed Parliament had refused them a venue to deliver their address.
The party has postponed their “real” SONA to next week.
Manyi made his statement as the parliamentary presiding officers announced yesterday that former presidents Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlanthe and Zuma would attend.
Speaking to the public broadcaster earlier on Thursday, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza confirmed Zuma’s attendance and that of the other former presidents.
“The former presidents have confirmed, all of them. The former deputy president confirmed he is coming. Former Speaker Naledi Pandor and others we have invited have confirmed,” she said.
Didiza indicated that other invited guests still had to confirm.
“Where we are sitting right now, the majority of our guests and dignitaries have accepted invitations. Obviously, there may be unforeseen circumstances that are not known to ourselves or to members which may make those guests to make last minute apologies,” she said.
Zuma’s lawyers argued earlier on Thursday he should be given leave to appeal a ruling last year by the trial judge dismissing his bid to remove lead prosecutor Billy Downer. Zuma is accusing Downer of leaking his medical information, which he says is in breach of prosecutorial ethics.
mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za
DAILY NEWS