Via BBC media link, 45 South Africans have died, over 700 arrests have been made, police and army personnel are overstretched, burning and looting continues and South Africa is becoming ungovernable owing to the arrest and detention of former President Jacob Zuma.
Sierra Leone is slowly treading on the path of South Africa as former Ernest Bai Koroma is about to be arrested for corruption offences. The former South African President handed in himself to the police three days ago after he was found guilty of contempt of court.
An ungovernable state is a failed state. Continued rioting is weakening the pillars of state governance in South Africa. The rioters have demanded the immediate release of the former President or the struggles continues most likely an armed struggle.
Fears also exist that South Africa may relegate to an all-out conflict if the former President is continuously detained. No one is safe in South Africa for now, and South African President has called for calm. The rioters would not yield to the President’s call until the liberty and dignity of the former President is restored.
Mr Zuma has been an object of intense corruption investigations and trials for years. The investigations and trials began during his presidency and they still continued. On the other hand, former President Koroma runs the risk of an ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission) arrest after he was accused of corruption.
No specific offence has been to the former President although he has been constantly interviewed by ACC. ACC however is moving back and forth with of fences of money laundering.
In criminal law, money laundering is about illicit acquisition and expenditure of money.
ACC relies solely on evidence adduced by the defunct Commissions of Inquiry (COI) that were set up to investigate persons who were President, Vice President, ministers and deputies. COI found out that former President Koroma was responsible for the disappearance of billions of Leones from the public purse.
As such, the commissions recommended that property of the former Head of State must be forfeited to the state since they were illegally earned. The Bio government, in a ‘White Paper,’ upheld the recommendation for which an appeal was lodged at the Appeals Court.
The commissions also made adverse findings against ministers in the Koroma-led government. Most have lost their appeals meaning they must pay back money alleged to have been stolen.
Few days ago, police officers deployed in Makeni mounted a roadblock on the main road leading to the residence of former President Koroma. The move was to test waters as to whether an arrest of the former President was feasible and attainable.
The erection of the checkpoint came after the pronouncement of an ACC invitation of the former President. Response from Makeni youths showed that no one could try a former President especially one who worked for his people.
Signs of an all-out conflict show clearly at anytime former President Koroma is invited by ACC. About six months ago, an all-out conflict was about to take place in Sierra Leone when ACC team of investigators visited the northern capital of Makeni to interview the former President.
Performance by the occult men (Poro, Orjeh, Mathoma, tamaborohs etc) indicated that they are ready to put their safety at stake in defence of the former President. By arresting and detaining former President Zuma, South Africa has broken a moral injunction which says former presidents should not be jailed in their own countries.
Clear examples exist in support of the moral rule. Former Liberian President Charles Taylor was never detained in his country after he was found guilty of inciting atrocities in Sierra Leone between 1991 and 2002.
former President Taylorv is currently held in a UK prison owing to safety and security concerns in his country and the Mano River Basin.
Almost invariably, former Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo was also detained outside his country.
Gbagbo was held in a Netherlands prison during his trial by the ICC (International Criminal Court) for human rights abuses that occurred after he refused to hand over power following an electoral defeat.
Like South African President, Sierra Leonean President Maada Bio has been admonished not to bear a hand in the arrest of former President Koroma.
Koroma’s support base is just too heavy to contain.
Undercover investigation conducted by this press shows that the youths are ready to take on the Bio government should it interfere with the liberty and freedom of the former President.
The maxim that there is no peace without justice is holding sway when it comes to trials of former Presidents. Instead of no peace without justice it should be justice can be set aside for peace. South Africa and Sierra Leone must learn from this maxim.