Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa who was forced to retire in 2018 due to his involvement in numerous corruption scandals and allegations, called Cyril Ramaphosa, his successor, “corrupt” on Saturday.
“The president is corrupt” and “he has committed treason,” he said in his first reaction to allegations that Ramaphosa was involved in an obscure burglary case.
“No president should handle private matters while in office” because it is contrary to the oath of office taken by the head of state, he continued at a news conference in Johannesburg.
The South African Parliament established an independent commission in September to look into a burglary case that has bothered President Ramaphosa for some time and is alleged to involve money laundering and corruption.
If the investigation’s findings support his impeachment, the parliament might vote on it.
Mr. Ramaphosa is accused of covering up a burglary at one of his residences in 2020, during which sizable sums of cash were discovered stashed in furniture, from the police and the tax authorities.
The case has caused the president to become unsettled ahead of the ANC’s imminent decision on whether to nominate him for a second term in office in the 2024 election.
Zuma said the ANC conference in December “will have to deal with this case” and decide whether or not the president can stay on. “Many are saying the president has failed,” he continued.
Another former head of state, Thabo Mbeki, also lamented the ANC’s situation ahead of the December conference.
“Our president is under great pressure (.) over the Phala Phala farm case,” he said at a separate meeting in Johannesburg.
This month marked the end of the former president Zuma’s 15-month prison sentence for obstinately refusing to testify before a panel looking into corruption.
Zuma was released on health-related reasons after serving two months of his sentence and put under court surveillance.
On Saturday, he denounced the legal system and referred to his imprisonment as “illegal.”
“The fact is that the highest court in this country has violated the law,” he said, saying “we must ensure that judges do not turn into politicians.
Late in September, Mr. Zuma, who is still being tried for bribery in a case that dates back more than 20 years, declared that he was thinking about getting back into politics.
