Publication: The Herald Issued: Date: 2005-10-21 Reporter: Mawande Jack Reporter: Reporter:

Zuma in New Attack on Media and State

 

Publication 

The Herald
Date 2005-10-21

Reporter

 Mawande Jack

Web Link

www.witness.co.za

 

Jacob Zuma made fresh allegations yesterday about a political conspiracy against him and lashed out at the media for trying and sentencing him – and slain mining boss Brett Kebble – out of court.

Addressing a SA Democratic Teachers’ Union Eastern Cape congress at St Albans outside Port Elizabeth, the former deputy president drew a parallel between himself and Kebble over the way both had been treated by the media and the State.

“The media acted as judges instead of reporting. It is an unfortunate situation. It has tried and sentenced Brett Kebble at great pain to his family, which was in grief,” Zuma said.

He said he had been subjected to the same treatment during and after the trial of his former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik. “How the media behaved, in this case, they crossed the boundaries in their manner of reporting, allowing themselves to be used as part of an agenda,” Zuma said.

He said the media had abused the principle of press freedom by reporting “unfairly” on the allegations during the Shaik trial.

Zuma also claimed the media had misquoted him after his appearance in the Durban magistrate’s court last week when reporting that he had promised to reveal the names of the people who were targeting him.

He denied having said this.

“There is something unfair about the media. They were quick to give an interpretation of what I said there instead of asking for clarity *1. This is an unfair manner of reporting.”

During Zuma’s appearance, his supporters shouted anti-Mbeki slogans and burned a T-shirt bearing the president’s picture.

Without naming the National Prosecuting Authority, he attacked “State organs” for what he said was the manner in which they had conducted themselves during the investigation against him.

Zuma told hundreds of delegates who attended the Sadtu congress at the St Albans Hall yesterday that he was the victim of a “political agenda”. He also drew a parallel between the way he and Kebble had been treated by “organs of State”, saying it was a “matter of concern. How these organs have behaved, there you have a problem,” he said.

The SA Revenue Service has confirmed in the media that Kebble’s tax affairs were being investigated at the time of his death.

Kebble was also due to go on trial for fraud and contravention of the Stock Exchange Act next year.

Kebble had asked former judge Edward Heath to investigate alleged abuse of power by former National Prosecuting Authority director Bulelani Ngcuka for allegedly telling newspaper editors in 2003 that Kebble had financially supported the ANCYL for protection, political favours and manoeuvring in muddy business deals.

The leadership of the ANC Youth League are also among Zuma’s staunchest supporters.

Zuma, accompanied by SA Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande, arrived at the St Albans hall with body guards after the congress had started. There was also a strong security presence at the hall and delegates, their cars and their bags were thoroughly searched.

As Zuma and Nzimande were about to speak, a power failure brought the congress to a standstill.

The hall, with heavily curtained windows, was plunged into darkness and the public address system stopped working. It took technicians about an hour to fix the fault.

Visibly confused and frustrated delegates became impatient and demanded that the power be restored.

In the gloom, Zuma joined the crowd singing a song praising him as “the true leader of struggle”.

Zuma looked indifferent to the power cut, but Nzimande claimed it was an act of sabotage. “There is indeed a sabotage. Workers will never be sabotaged,” he said.

Nzimande backed Zuma’s claims against the media.

“Zuma was tried twice, by the media and the courts of law *1. His constitutional rights have been violated.”

Nzimande said: “The working class must defend Zuma and not allow the media to pervert the issue.”

Zuma urged workers to defend the tripartite alliance. “The alliance will never die. It will live forever. All the three alliance partners need each other to transform South Africa.”

Among the prominent figures at the teachers’ congress were ANC Eastern Cape provincial secretary Humphrey Maxhegwana, Sadtu president Willie Madisha, Cosatu provincial leader Zanoxolo Wayile, and SACP regional leader Thobile Ntola.

With acknowledgements to Mawande Jack and The Herald.


*1  It was he who would not provide the clarity. It was he who preferred to speak in the language innuendo. It was he who said some things (like about the Rule of Law) in English, but more sinister things (like about power struggle conspiracy theories), in isiZulu.

It is he who, over the last two years, has been given every platform, even by SABC TV and eTV, to explain himself on the charges and allegations and take both the press and the nation into his confidence, but has refused every such opportunity.

What an ass! Imbongolo!

*2  Not yet by the court of law. That starts on 31 July 2006. Although not tried, Mr Justice Hilary G. Squires did make some eviscerating *3 findings about the subject.

*3  eviscerate
e·vis·cer·ate
to remove an internal organ *4, such as a gizzard, from (a duck *5 - sitting or otherwise)
to divest of strength and force

*4  But not the larynx.

*5  Donkey, whatever.