ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said on Monday that the real assessment of the recent State of the Nation Address should be how President Cyril Ramaphosa responds to former President Jacob Zuma’s defiance of the Constitutional Court.

Zuma was on Monday expected to appear before the State Capture Commission, led by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, which deals with graft allegations during Zuma’s tenure as President. 

Mashaba said Ramaphosa’s silence on the matter was deafening.

He questioned whether the rule of law will be asserted and stated that those deemed most powerful must be treated the same as any other citizen.

“ActionSA demands that Parliament table the requisite process to remove all benefits accruing to former President Zuma. A former President of a Constitutional democracy cannot earn tens of millions of Rand in benefits, while he continues to defy the very Constitution that he swore an oath to uphold. If this means that the law that provides for Presidential benefits needs to be amended, then so be it,” said Mashaba.

He accused Ramaphosa of showing no leadership and said it was another example of how the ruling African National Congress continued to put the party before country.

“It is a shame that President’s Cyril Ramaphosa is the same person who played a central role in the drafting of our Constitution, hailed as the most progressive Constitution in the world, and his subsequent role in selling this to the international community after its adoption. His silence and inaction will likely damage the image of South Africa,” added Mashaba.