WE tend to take governance as ‘Kantemba’; the country belongs to the people not leaders and their supporters, says PF member Jonas Shakafuswa.
Commenting on former South African President Jacob Zuma’s appearance in court on Friday on corruption charges, Shakafuswa, a former deputy finance minister in the MMD government, wrote on his Facebook page that reality dawns on leaders when owners of power ask for accountability.
Weeks after his fall from grace, Zuma made a brief appearance in court on Friday in a corruption case.
A judge in the High Court in Durban adjourned the case, which is related to a multibillion-dollar arms deal from the 1990s, until June 8.
Zuma, who is said to have made no comment in court, had for years tried to avoid prosecution in the case.
He was stripped of the presidency in February after losing a battle with his deputy and eventual successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, starting a battle on another front.
Last month, the national prosecutors announced that corruption charges related to the arms deal would be reinstated against Zuma almost a decade after they were dropped.
Zuma faces 16 charges in the arms case, including corruption, fraud, racketeering and money laundering.
Commenting on Zuma’s prosecution, Shakafuswa, the former Katuba member of parliament, warned against abuse of power.
“When the powerful are humbled…We tend to take governance as Kantemba, feeling the world belongs to you. But when the owners ask for accountability, that’s when the reality dawns,” stated Shakafuswa. “The country belongs to the people. Not leaders and their supporters. Doing business with government, one should realise that it is not private anymore, except Task Force, the truth. Teshi chishi chabanyoko (This is not your mother’s country).”
Read this article from the original source: Shakafuswa: Zambia Not a ‘Kantemba’.