The decision to prosecute former president Jacob Zuma was met with great applause from the opposition.
The Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters welcomed the decision made by NDPP Shaun Abrahams, which was made on Friday.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane called the announcement “a victory for all who have fought for years for Jacob Zuma to face accountability for his crimes.”
“We will also fight to ensure the public do not have to
carry the costs of Zuma's defence, as they have already done for the past 9
years,” he said.
Maimane also said that Zuma’s case and the case of Schabir Shaik, which proceeded n 2009, should not have been separated.
“When Shabir Shaik was found guilty on charges of corruption and fraud in relation to the Arms Deal on 7 April 2005, Judge Squires' judgment made it clear that Zuma must also be charged, and that the evidence for this was “convincing and really overwhelming”,” he said.
In a statement, the EFF said that no one is above the law.
“The principle of equality before the law means we must all be equally held accountable for the deeds deemed illegal regardless of our social and political standing.
“ The prosecution of Zuma will send a strong message to all kleptomaniacs within and outside the government that they can never loot the state and not meet the consequences thereof,” the statement read.
