* Zuma surrounding himself with acolytes – opposition
* New top graftbuster lands in hot water
* ANC review of constitutional court rulings criticised
By Marius Bosch
JOHANNESBURG, Dec 13 (Reuters) – More than any
previous South African leader, President Jacob Zuma has
personally experienced the country’s justice system in action
both before and after the end of apartheid.
Jailed for a decade on Robben Island Prison under
apartheid, and then found not guilty on rape charges and
escaping a corruption prosecution in post-apartheid South
Africa, Zuma has had his fair share of days in
court.
Now his critics accuse South Africa’s fourth post-apartheid
president of encroaching on the independence of the judiciary
and appointing supporters to key posts as he fights to extend
his presidency for another five years.
“We cannot allow the ‘Zumafication’ of South Africa’s
constitutionally independent justice system,” opposition
Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said this month.
Zuma’s appointment of a relatively inexperienced judge as
chief justice, the designation of his former trial adviser as
the top corruption investigator and plans by the ruling ANC to
review judgments of the Constitutional Court – South Africa’s
highest – reinforces a perception that the independent judiciary
is under threat, analysts say.
Continued…
