Legal Analyst Says Cyril Ramaphosa Still Has to Face Jacob Zuma in Court Over Private Prosecution Case

• A legal expert believes that President Cyril Ramaphosa will have to face the courts over the criminal charges filed by his predecessor
• Former president Jacob Zuma launched a private prosecution against Ramaphosa for allegedly failing to deal with another matter
• Dr Llewelyn Curlewi believes that the president should clear his name sooner rather than later for the betterment of South Africa

JOHANNESBURG - As President Cyril Ramaphosa prepares to face former president Jacob Zuma in court, a legal expert warned that there’s no backing down from the case.

Zuma launched a private prosecution against Ramaphosa for his alleged failure to properly deal with the allegations against state advocate Billy Downer. The pair are expected to meet in court next week.

Legal expert Dr Llewelyn Curlewis told EWN that he believes Ramaphosa will have to face the music in the near future. He said the sooner the president clears his name the better for the country’s political situation.

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Curlewis also said that the step-aside rule should be abolished following Ramaphosa’s legal troubles. The president argued in his papers that he was not served with a nolle prosequi certificate that allows Zuma to opt for a private prosecution.

Ramaphosa believes that the legal battle was an attempt to unseat him. However, the Jacob Zuma Foundation rubbished the claims, saying Ramaphosa could not simply ignore the criminal charges.

Responding to the urgent application filed by the president, the JZ Foundation spokesperson, Mzwanele Manyi condemned the time wasting. He told IOL if the matter was truly urgent, the application would have been brought within a day or two after the criminal summons was delivered.

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Mzansi reacts to Zuma-Ramaphosa court drama:

@GcugcwaM said:

“He owns the judiciary, he sets aside everything pointing his direction of wrongdoing.”

@thulisa_sithole posted:

“He's been running but he can never hide at the end.”

@IAm_Gunnz commented:

“Yeah, the ducking and diving have to end.”

@Grgtoli wrote:

“And Jacob will have to serve a prison term at some point.”

@Nhlanhlantsim added:

“Ramaphosa and law enforcement are like water and oil. They are instilling that nonsense in the public at large.”

Jacob Zuma’s legal bid against Ramaphosa puts the ANC in an awkward position, Mzansi says the ANC failed Zuma

Briefly News also reported that the African National Congress (ANC) plans to intervene in former President Jacob Zuma's legal bid against Cyril Ramaphosa.

Zuma issued a summons against Ramaphosa and accused him of being an accessory after the fact concerning the private prosecution matter against State Advocate Billy Downer and News24 journalist Karyn Maughan.

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Jacob Zuma’s legal bid against Ramaphosa puts the ANC in an awkward position, Mzansi says the ANC failed Zuma

According to City Press, the ongoing legal tiff between the two prominent figures of the ANC has left the party in a difficult position.

Source: Briefly News