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Zuma Escapes being Grilled by MPs on His Education Trust |
| Publication | Cape Times |
| Date |
2005-03-03 |
|
Reporter |
Angela Quintal |
|
Web Link |
Durban businessman Schabir Shaik's high court trial continued to haunt Deputy President Jacob Zuma in parliament yesterday, but with the help of a disputed interpretation of parliamentary rules he was spared a public grilling.
A question from Alfred Mpontshane (IFP) about the Jacob Zuma Education Trust was ruled out of order by Geoff Doidge (ANC), who was chairing the weekly question time in the House yesterday.
Doidge, one of three House chairmen, said the matter did not fall within Zuma's "line function as deputy president".
Zuma, however, had agreed to answer it, although supplementary questions would not be entertained, Doidge told MPs.
Mpontshane accepted the ruling and asked Zuma whether he would be willing to "entertain private interactions".
"Not in this chamber, but in private," Zuma said to laughter from the benches.
Douglas Gibson (DA), however, was not amused and said the ruling was incorrect. The advice that the matter was sub judice was wrong, he told MPs.
"(Zuma) is not an accused before the court. The fact that they mention his name every day is a different matter."
Doidge, however, confirmed his ruling.
Helen Zille (DA), who had wanted to ask a supplementary question, issued a statement saying Doidge's refusal to permit further questions "was most unfortunate".
"The DA will refer the ruling to the speaker and if necessary to the rules committee of the national assembly for review.
"This trust, started with public money, falls under the patronage of the deputy president and the public has a right to know what happens to each and every cent it disburses *1."
Referring to the question she had wished to ask about the trust, Zille said: "This is the kind of question the deputy president does not wish to answer.
"It is in the public interest that he should and the DA will continue to hold him to account on these issues."
The Jacob Zuma Education Trust has often been mentioned during the trial of Zuma's financial adviser, Shaik.
Shaik testified last week that he had asked Alain Thetard, of French arms firm Thomson-CSF, to consider giving money to the trust in 1998. He repeated the request in September 1999. The state alleges that the request was for a bribe.
Shaik said he had not considered it polite to ask for a specific sum, but would have proposed a donation of R5 million or R10m if someone had asked *2.
Shaik testified, among other things, that the French businessman's refusal to make the donation was a source of embarrassment and conflict between him and Zuma.
"The donation did not materialise," he said.
In his reply to Mpontshane's question in the national assembly yesterday, Zuma said the trust had been established with provincial discretionary Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) funds that had been allocated to each MEC in KwaZulu-Natal to use at their discretion for a delivery project.
"As then-MEC for economic affairs, I decided to use my allocation as seed
capital for an education trust.
"The trust is now entirely funded through donations."
The trust, formerly known as the KwaZulu-Natal RDP Education Trust, focused on providing financial assistance to under-privileged children.
"We approached various people who represented business, the government, institutions of higher learning and the community to become trustees."
The name of the trust was later changed to his name because he was the patron and it was the view of trustees that the term "RDP" gave an impression that the trust would be run for a limited period, Zuma said.
From 1997 until the end of last year, the trust had assisted 5 000 children with primary and secondary schooling and more than 50 students at tertiary level.
"Looking back over the past seven years since the trust was established, it is gratifying to see the achievements that have been scored, despite limited resources at our disposal," Zuma said.
With acknowledgements to Angela Quintal and the Cape Times.
*1 And each and every franc it receives.
*2 The maximum Thomson-CSF or Thales have ever given as a legitimate donation id Euro 100 000 (about R800 000) to the UNICEF South East Asia Tsunami Disaster Fund (this was very recently (in the last 6 weeks).
Before that, $2 500 was the high water mark of their public generosity.
Shaik probably gets his R5 million to R10 million benchmark from the amounts either asked for or given for the Thabo Mbeki Trust Fund and/or Mandela Trust Fund and/or Hadiba Trust Fund.
It needs to be established :