‘I've never been afraid
Publish date: 24 February 2020
Issue Number: 861
Diary: IBA Legalbrief Africa
Category: General
‘I've never been afraid of jail. If I am required to go, I will go. Even under the apartheid regime, I went to jail. The Boers, they charged me and I was arrested for 10 years and came out fresh. Even if our ANC government finds me guilty, I will go to jail, serve my time and come out again.'
– Former President Jacob Zuma on his corruption charges
‘I have the conviction that in the coming week, I will lead this country. Considering the revelations of fraud which marked this ballot, it is impossible for the outgoing candidate to be elected in the first round.’
– Togo's opposition candidate Agbeyome Kodjo on this weekend's disputed poll
'Malema is the country's ultimate agent provocateur. He can change course, amend his beliefs and adapt his stories in a heartbeat. He can needle and exploit any weakness in a political opponent and makes his enemies pay dearly for moments of weakness, lapses in judgment or a rush of blood to the head. And he has the cynical ability of forcibly prising open fault-lines, fissures and divisions in society for his own populist ends. The EFF and Malema's brand of politics is toxic and destructive, it is hostile towards constitutionalism, distrustful of democracy and antagonistic towards Indian and white South Africans. The party's shameful actions during Ramaphosa's speech, and Malema's taunts on Tuesday, underscores its flat refusal to engage in constructive politics.
– Analyst Pieter du Toit on EFF leader Julius Malema
‘I prefer to build schools and give poor people food or clothing. I have built schools (and) a stadium. We provide clothes, shoes and food for people in extreme poverty. In addition, I give 70 euros per month to all people from a very poor Senegalese region in order to contribute to their family economy. I do not need to display luxury cars, luxury homes, trips, and even planes. I prefer that my people receive a little of what life has given me.’
– Senegalese football star Sadio Mane who earns an annual salary of $10m with Liverpool FC
