Zuma Blitz [The Star, 2005-08-19]

Publication: The Star Issued: Date: 2005-08-19 Reporter: Alex Eliseev Reporter: Moipone Malefane Reporter:

Zuma Blitz

Publication	The Star
Date	2005-08-19
Reporter	Alex Eliseev, Moipone Malefane
Web link	www.thestar.co.za

Union buildings hit - nationwide seizures - Cosatu in revolt

The Scorpions and Jacob Zuma's guards squared off over the barrels of their rifles - bloodshed a hair trigger away *1.

A storm raged through "Idle Winds" - Zuma's new home in Forest Town, Johannesburg - yesterday. The Scorpions blinked first.

At dawn, 18 members of the elite crime-busting unit - 12 armed with semi-automatic LM-5 rifles and Glock pistols - shook Zuma out of bed. They came to rummage for documents "to obtain as much evidence as possible" for their fraud investigation *1 into Zuma.

At first the beleaguered former deputy president was polite and friendly. He shook the hands of the Scorpions investigators.

Then the search warrant was read to him.

"Jacob Zuma nodded," said one of the Scorpions. "He understood that we were there to do a job."

In the early morning, Epping Street was blockaded as the Scorpions assumed control of house No 8, crawling around the property.

For two-and-a-half hours the situation at Idle Winds was calm. But then, at about 9am, a gale-force wind began raging *3.

It arrived in the form of a black Jeep Cherokee. Blue lights flashing, the vehicle flew into Epping Street and came to a grinding halt in front of Zuma's home.

Four suited men jumped out. They were armed with LM-5 automatic rifles and an Uzi.

They charged towards the gate. These men were members of the VIP Presidential Protection Unit - Zuma's muscle.

They lifted their rifles to their chests and bashed them against the gate, shouting "Vula! Vula! Vula *4! (Open! Open! Open!)".

They stormed up the steep driveway, guns at the ready, shouting: "What are you doing here?"

At the front door, the Scorpions were waiting - ready for the confrontation. Inside, six investigators continued their search.
A heated argument over turf erupted - a standoff over who should leave.

"What are you doing?" a VIP guard barked. "What do you want? Nifunani la?"

The Scorpions didn't respond. Zuma's bodyguards waved their guns, ordering the Scorpions guarding the house off the property. One of the Scorpions urged the guards to lower their weapons. Inside, the investigators continued searching.

Outside, the guards began edging the Scorpions toward their vehicles. A guard tapped the roof of one of the Scorpions' cars and screamed: "Get this out of here. You don't belong here! I'm in charge."

The Scorpions began retreating. The gates opened and their cars reversed back into the road.

Outside, a Scorpions investigator breathed a sigh of relief. A gunbattle had been avoided.

"They came in like cowboys. They didn't identify themselves. We could have thought they were armed robbers. Luckily, we saw the blue lights. That's why we didn't react...

"We had a search warrant and we had every reason to be there. Legally, we could have stayed, but that would have aggravated the situation ... so (we) decided to remain on the perimeter," said the investigator.

The Scorpions member said it was an extremely dangerous situation. "There could have been bloodshed. Easily."

A bodyguard blocked the front door, his rifle across his chest, his finger on the trigger.

In the garden, another VIP bodyguard put his banana-shaped magazine into the rifle and cocked it as he paced across the lawn.

The Scorpions were never far. They waited outside the gate. The VIP bodyguards were in control *5.

The Scorpions investigators who were inside the house during the conflict were ordered by the bodyguards to surrender their guns. One by one, they walked to the gate and handed their weapons to their Scorpions colleagues.

But when they returned to their search inside the house, Zuma was no longer friendly.

"He became hostile," said the Scorpions investigator. "He no longer answered questions."

Outside, the four bodyguards relaxed. They drank coffee and smoked cigarettes. Calm had once again returned to Idle Winds.

Cars pulled up as Zuma's lawyers, some allies and a couple in a military vehicle came to offer support. One of the bodyguards who had waved a rifle around an hour earlier slipped out of the gate.

At 12.30, six hours after they surprised the former deputy president, the Scorpions emerged triumphantly from the house.

They carried two computer hard-drive boxes, sealed in green plastic, and boxes of documents filled with faxes, records of gifts and correspondence, which they believe will provide evidence in their attempt to secure a conviction against Zuma.

The Scorpions loaded their spoils into their cars and sped off.

The storm was over - for now.

With acknowledgements to Alex Eliseev, Moipone Malefane and The Star.

*1 Although a relatively trite point, hopefully the security services don't have hair triggers on their service weapons and don't carry their private weapons on them on official business.

*2 Di's no fraud investigation - this is the real thing - corruption One Two.

*3 This reminds one of a medium-sized admiral of the South African Navy who liked to quote a great World War Two Royal Air Force general, Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur Harris who famously said : "He who sows the wind shall reap the whirlwind." It this case, possibly a little flatulence reaped this awkward gale.

Mid-Year Riddle

Who was the medium-sized admiral of the South African Navy?

Hint - it may have something to do with a K-Klass Korvette.

*4 And this is enough to remind one of a very good article in Noseweek some years back by Sam Sole called Thabo's Boys vs The Vula Boys.

*5 But far more seriously, the intervention by the Vula Boys and retreat by Vusi's Boys could easily have given the opportunity for some delectable evidence to evaporate.

These interveners should be charge with interfering with the conduct of justice (or whatever the correct terminology is).