‘Political suicide’ for Ramaphosa to grant Zuma presidential pardon
Updated | By Sibahle Motha
Associate Professor in Public Law at the University of Cape Town, Professor Cathleen Powell, believes it would be political suicide for President Cyril Ramaphosa to consider granting former Jacob Zuma a presidential pardon.
Ramaphosa’s predecessor began serving his 15-month jail sentence for contempt in the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday evening.
While Ramaphosa has so far remained mum on Zuma’s legal woes, there have been suggestions from some quarters that the ANC might pressure him to grant clemency to the former party president.
“The requirements for a presidential pardon are very loose,” says Powell.
ALSO READ: Zuma eligible for parole in little over 3 months - Lamola
“They’re not restricted by anything in the constitution. The president simply has the power to grant one pardon. There is in practice a board that considers that application. But there is nothing in principle that is stopping thepresident from issuing a pardon.
“I’m not a political analyst but it would probably be political suicide for him to do so because we’re at the point where we have established that the rule of law has some hold in South Africa. And for the president to immediately pardon somebody for the contempt of court, then he is sending out a message that the courts don’t need to be respected. So it’s not impossible it can be done and it can be done immediately.”
Former President Zuma was arrested on Wednesday evening after numerous attempts to evade his 15 month jail sentence in the High Court.
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