Speaking to the media outside Zuma’s homestead in Nkandla,
KwaZulu-Natal, Edward Zuma maintained law enforcement agencies would have to go
through him before getting hold of his father.
“My position has been known and I still maintain it.
Whatever decisions are taken by law enforcement, they will have to kill me
before such a decision is implemented,” he said.
“If that drastic decision happens to be taken, it means
they have to pass through me, meaning I will lay down my life for [former]
president Zuma. They will not take him to prison while I am still alive.”
Edward insisted he was not reckless in making those
comments.
On Tuesday the Constitutional Court sentenced the former
president to 15 months behind bars after he was found guilty of contempt of court
for failure to comply with an order issued by it to honour a summons to appear
before the state capture inquiry.
“The only appropriate sanction is a direct unsuspended
order of imprisonment,” said acting deputy chief justice Sisi Khampepe.
She said: “Never before has the judicial process been so
threatened. “If with impunity litigants are allowed to decide which orders they
may wish to obey and which they wish to ignore, then our constitution is not
worth the paper on which it is written.”
Zuma snubbed the inquiry and attacked the integrity of some
of its officials, including inquiry chair deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo. He has five days to hand himself over to
authorities to start serving his sentence.
Before then, Edward welcomed supporters of the former
president to the family’s home. “We encourage people to come in their numbers
to support [former] president Zuma,” Edward said.
Asked whether Covid-19 regulations, which prohibit
gatherings, were considered, Edward said they were irrelevant.
“We are in a situation of war here. We cannot be
considering Covid-19 restrictions. If it means we die, we die.” TimesLIVE
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