ON THE WATER
NEELS BLOM: A constitution under siege is a nation under siege
It seems First Citizen Jacob Zuma needs help with matters constitutional, or is it that the Constitution needs help with Zuma? One way or another, the nation should make up its mind about which entity needs it most. Several conflicting interpretations of the Constitution come to mind. A recent instance is Zuma’s challenge to the Financial Intelligence Centre Amendment Bill. As first citizen, he perused the bill for six months before returning it to Parliament on the grounds that warrantless searches were unconstitutional. Turns out they aren’t and, presumably, Zuma will now do what Parliament says and sign the thing into law. Conspiracy theorists might say Zuma had known this all along but that he and others needed time to do what they had to do, whatever that might be. But who needs theorising? Evidence will do, such as that supplied by the president of the Progressive Professionals Forum‚ Mzwanele Manyi, who told us that the amendment would bankrupt the ANC. This is proof, says th...
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