COPE President Mosiuoa Lekota intends to meet with all opposition parties to work on modalities of instituting impeachment proceedings against President Zuma.(SABC)
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COPE President Mosiuoa Lekota has taken his call for President Jacob Zuma to be impeached, a step further. He's meeting with all opposition parties to work on modalities of instituting impeachment proceedings against President Zuma in Parliament. But the plan has drawn a sharp rebuke from the ruling party.
President Zuma escaped a gruelling court trial in 2009. The NPA dropped the criminal charges against him, paving the way for Zuma to become President. COPE claimed that it was in possession of recordings that showed the entire legal process against Zuma was tainted by political interference. Urged by the DA, the Supreme Court ordered early this year that the NPA provide access to such tapes.
Nine months later, the tapes are yet to be made available.
Impeachment of a president is not provided for in the country's Constitution
The DA was supposed to receive them today, but President Zuma's lawyers are reported to be working through the courts not to make the tapes public.
COPE now insists that President Zuma must be impeached for undermining the constitution and defying a court order.
“All opposition parties must sponsor substantive motion in parliament calling for the impeachment proceedings against the president so that members can make a decision on whether they will respect the decisions of the judiciary or not.”
ANC Spokesperson, Jackson Mthembu says Lekota has shown passionate hatred for Zuma.“But we are not worried because he does not have powers or numbers to impeach Zuma. Even his reasons are laughable because it’s not Zuma who is supposed to provide tapes, but a state agency.”
