Former president Jacob Zuma and President Cyril Ramaphosa were filmed laughing together at the ANC National Elective Conference in Nasrec, Johannesburg, on Friday.
It came hours after Zuma’s foundation announced that Ramaphosa “has been charged in a private prosecution”.
It also came just before Ramaphosa was heckled by ANC delegates from KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma’s stronghold province.
Watch: Zuma and Ramaphosa laugh together
On the first day of the ANC’s 55th national elective conference in Nasrec, Ramaphosa and Zuma were seen in a jovial mood and shaking hands.
Viewing the footage, there is no sign of tension between the two ANC veterans despite the legal and political issues between the two.
Private prosecution
Less than a day before, the Jacob Zuma Foundation said that it had instituted a private prosecution of Ramaphosa.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has been charged in a private prosecution with the criminal offence of being accessory after the fact in the crimes committed by among others Advocate Downer namely, breaching the provisions if the NPA Act.”
“The serious crimes for which Mr Ramaphosa has been charged with in a court of law carry the sentence of 15 years imprisonment,” the foundation said.
ALSO READ: Zuma foundation claims to have instituted private prosecution of Ramaphosa
Presidency slams ‘criminal charges’
The Presidency responded by rejecting the private prosecution attempt. It said it was an “abuse of the private prosecution process”.
It said private prosecution could only be instituted after a certificate of non-prosecution had been obtained from the NPA.
“Mr. Zuma has not provided such a certificate with charges in the name of President Ramaphosa. The summon served to the President is hopelessly sub-standard and demonstrate absolute disregard of the law,” Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said.
“These charges are completely spurious and unfounded,” he added.
ALSO READ: Zuma’s ‘criminal charges’ against Ramaphosa slammed for being ‘unfounded and spurious’
The Jacob Zuma Foundation then said the “legal import and implication of the charges” had not been grasped by the Presidency.
It also said if the “criminal case” against Ramaphosa is “as strong as the prosecution believes”, he could face up to 15 years in prison.
What charges Ramaphosa faces from Zuma remain unclear.
