#UnitedBehind activists expected to march demanding Zuma's arrest

1st November 2017 By: News24Wire

#UnitedBehind activists expected to march demanding Zuma's arrest

Photo by: Reuters

Activists from #UnitedBehind are on Wednesday expected to march from Central Methodist Mission in Greenmarket Square in Cape Town to an undisclosed location to demand the arrest of President Jacob Zuma.

An organiser with the movement, Bruce Baigrie, said the march was expected to begin at around noon.

Baigrie said the organisation, like other political parties and civil organisations, had been calling for Zuma to step down for some time.

"The most recent revelations of Zuma being bankrolled by Roy Moodley and his corrupt front companies leave us with no choice but to escalate our call to direct action," Baigrie said.

He was referring to a disclosure in a book written by former Media24 investigative journalist Jacques Pauw, The President's Keepers, that Zuma earned a "salary" of R1-million a month from controversial businessman Moodley without declaring it to the South African Revenue Service (Sars).

"When we say #ArrestZuma, we mean arrest the president and his keepers. When we say #ArrestUs, we mean that we will submit to arrest," Baigrie said.

He said weeks had passed since the Supreme Court of Appeal had ordered the reinstatement of charges against the president related to the arms deal and yet Zuma had not been arrested.

"In giving him until November 30th to make new representations. [National Director of Public Prosecutions] Shaun Abrahams and the Hawks have made a complete mockery of the constitutional duty to 'prosecute without fear, favour and prejudice'.

"Now, more than ever, it falls upon the people of South Africa to achieve justice themselves. #UniteBehind calls for support to force the arrest, since the authorities clearly won't do so," Baigrie said.

"We demand that Parliament impeach the president and [that it] asks him when he addresses it to speak to the specifics of Roy Moodley, Royal Security, Siyangena."

The two companies have been linked to Moodley and have allegedly benefitted from political interference.

"A disciplined band of activists are willing to be arrested themselves until Zuma is held accountable for his vast array of crimes," he said.