President Cyril Ramaphosa says he respects the Electoral Court ruling which found that former president Jacob Zuma qualifies for appointment to the National Assembly because the 15-month prison term he received from the Constitutional Court for contempt could not be appealed, therefore it did not qualify as a "sentence".
"It's not given for me to be second-guessing what the judges of our country say. I leave the judges to make pronouncements, their judgments, and for me as the head of state, it is to give credence to the fact that the independence of the judiciary must be respected," Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
The president responded to the court ruling after delivering his Siyanqoba ANC rally message at the Phuthaditjhaba Stadium in Qwaqwa, Free State.