Zandile Gumede during her inauguration of eThekwini Mayor at the Durban City Hall on 23 August 2016 in Durban, South Africa. Photo: Gallo Images/The Times/Jackie Clausen
Watch: Duduzane Zuma congratulates Zandile Gumede [video]
In the video, Duduzane Zuma can be heard congratulating Zandile Gumede on her reappointment as a Member of the Provincial Legislature.
Zandile Gumede during her inauguration of eThekwini Mayor at the Durban City Hall on 23 August 2016 in Durban, South Africa. Photo: Gallo Images/The Times/Jackie Clausen
A video of former President Jacob Zuma’s son, Duduzane Zuma, congratulating Zandile Gumede on her reappointment as a Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL) in KwaZulu-Natal is doing the rounds on social media.
The video was shared by Twitter user @goolammv, who wrote in the caption: “Message from Gupta agent, Duduzane Zuma to Zandile Gumede. All these criminals obviously support each other”.
Duduzane Zuma congratulating Zandile Gumede
In the video, Zuma can be heard congratulating Gumede on her reappointment. He adds that “innocent until proven guilty” is the basis of the law and the “basis we should all respect”.
He said that “leaders who are flip-flopping on this should be ashamed of themselves and should not be doing this to people who have not had their day in court, or who are yet to see their day in court”.
Zuma wished Gumede all the best and encouraged her to “keep working hard and keep pushing the envelope”; adding that he supports her and that the is “not the only one that does so”.
“To you, Ma’am, keep working hard and keep pushing the envelope. I support you for sure, and I’m not the only one that does so. All the best to you, congratulations once again.”
Watch the viral video here
Zandile Gumede’s corruption case
This follows after the former eThekwini mayor was sworn in on Wednesday, 19 August 2020, as an ANC MP. Gumede will now assume the COGTA portfolio for the province, capping a near-improbable return to frontline politics.
There is currently an ongoing fraud and corruption case against her and 17 others. The total of the alleged looting amounts to nearly R400 million, and the case has been persistently postponed.
The latest delay will see Gumede only appear court again in September 2020. A source recently told TheSouthAfrican that both Ace Magashule and David Mabuza will allegedly “not let anything happen” to Gumede.
“Zandile Gumede is protected by Ace Magashule and David Mabuza. They won’t let anything happen to her, and this alliance of crooks will continue to protect each other”.
South African’s react
On the topic of innocent until proven guilty, another netizen, @bonglez said the presumption is a legal standard, not a moral, ethical or even logical one. He asked:
“How does the ANC reappoint Zandile Gumede after previously firing her for incompetence?”
Opinion seems divided; one netizen thanked Zuma for “supporting strong black women”, adding that he is a “man of integrity” and that “South Africa needs people” like him.
Another wanted to know “when was Duduzane ever convicted for crime to deserve being called a criminal”? Another added:
“Innocent until proven guilty because it suits your narrative! What about the oath you take to uphold the highest levels of integrity, to not bring your party and positions you hold into disrepute, to hold the public into your confidence?”
A netizen known only as @emmanwaneri2000 said that Zuma should “tell his dear daddy” about flip-flopping, as the former president has “ducked and dived like crazy since 2008 to avoid jail”.
Also read – ‘We can’t throw her away’: ANC on Zandile Gumede’s redeployment
