As former president Jacob Zuma criss-crossed KwaMashu, north of Durban on Friday while campaigning for the ANC ahead of the upcoming general elections, his legal team worked around the clock to meet the deadline for the submission of his application for a permanent stay of prosecution relating to dozens of fraud, corruption and money laundering charges that have been levelled against him.
The application was filed on Friday, and Zuma and his new legal team will now wait to hear if his plea to halt his corruption trial will be considered.
While on the campaign trail the former statesman told hundreds of party supporters and pensioners that since there was no compensation when land was taken from black people it was only right that there was no compensation when the land was taken back.
Zuma, who was accompanied by ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Sihle Zikalala, urged the party’s supporters to remain calm and ensure no blood was spilled during efforts to retrieve the land.
He said the Constitution maintained that people could claim only land that was taken from 1913, and in the same breath questioned why people could not claim land taken as far back as the 1600s.
“There was no compensation when the land was taken from us, therefore there should be no compensation when we take back the land.
“We can’t start a war, no blood must be spilled when we expropriate land without compensation.” said Zuma. Earlier this year, after he resigned as president, Zuma said he would not need permission from anybody to campaign for the ANC ahead of next year’s elections.
He pleaded with those gathered not to punish the ANC because they did not disapproved of certain leaders, saying if they did so, they would be doing a disservice to the progress the organisation had made over the past two years.
“Anger is a disease (in) people; it affects their thinking because if they don’t like me, you would hear them say that they won’t vote for the ANC because it is being led by Zuma.
“How is it that the ANC’s problem is that it is led by Zuma?
“We should love the ANC no matter what type of leader it has chosen to lead us; if we don’t like that leader, it’s fine, we will remove them at conference.
“We can’t take the ANC out of power, that can’t happen,” he said.
He described next year’s elections as being similar to a “cup final” that the ANC would win, and said people should ensure that they were registered to vote.
“We will vote for the ANC and nothing else,” Zuma said.