Cosatu: Government should be on high alert following Zuma ruling

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has urged the government to be prepared for just about anything that could happen after the Constitutional Court ruled that former president Jacob Zuma must go back to prison.

The Constitutional Court dismissed a bid by Correctional Services to overturn a previous judgement handed down by the Sureme Court of Appeal. In December 2021, the High Court in Pretoria reviewed and set aside former prisons boss Arthur Fraser’s decision to release Zuma on medical parole. The matter was then taken up with the SCA, but that application was dismissed.

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CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE VIOLENCE OVER ZUMA RULING

There has been a wave of reaction over news of Jacob Zuma possibly going back to prison, including concerns of a repeat of the July unrest, which had started out as semi-violent demonstrations demanding his release and resulted in riots in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Speaking to SABC News, COSATU’s Matthew Parks said law enforcement agencies need to be better prepared this time, particularly in the wake of the judgement.

“First, we respect the Constitutional Court and think all South Africans should respect it. It is the ultimate authority on the law, but I think for us, what’s really critical is for government not to be caught napping like it was two years ago. We saw what happened two years ago, when there was significant backlash against the ruling previously,” Parks said.

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