Durban – As the stand-off between former President Jacob Zuma and the Zondo commission escalates, Police Minister, Bheki Cele is on Thursday in Nkandla to meet with the former head of state
Videos taken by journalists camped outside Zuma’s Nkandla home on Thursday morning showed Cele arriving in a convoy of German sedans only to be blocked by the battalion of MK veterans that have camped outside the home since Sunday.
The MK veterans were deployed to prevent any arrest of Zuma who is now facing contempt of court after refusing to appear before the Zondo commission on Monday, as instructed by the Constitutional Court late last month.
News channel eNCA reported that Cele’s spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, confirmed Cele was in Nkandla to meet with Zuma. Attempts to contact Themba yielded no results as she did not respond to messages and calls.
Cele is the head of the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the law enforcement unit will have to be the one to carry out the arrest of Zuma once an order has been issued by the Constitutional Court which Zuma stands accused of defying.
Zuma’s spokesperson, Vukile Mathabela, did not respond when asked whether the meeting was official or not.
ANC spokesperson, Pule Mabe, on Thursday refused to divulge when exactly the meeting between Zuma and ANC officials would take place. The officials had been mandated by the national executive committee (NEC) of the party, which met this weekend, to meet with Zuma and persuade him to avail himself to the Zondo commission.
However, Mabe said the public would be kept in the loop regarding the high stakes meeting which comes as Zuma on Monday said he was not going to change his mind.
“We will accordingly update the media and members of the public once the outcomes of the meeting have been established and accordingly conveyed to us,” Mabe said when asked by Independent Media about the meeting.
