Publication: The Friends of Jacob Zuma Website Issued: Date: 2006-08-21 Reporter: Jon Qwelane Reporter:

Presidency's Amnesia "Baffling"

 

Publication  The Friends of Jacob Zuma Website
Date

2006-08-21

Reporter

Jon Qwelane

Web Link

 www.friendsofjz.co.za

 

So the truth is finally beginning to trickle out, as it always does.

I foresee a torrent very soon, which will in no time be a flood from which nobody will be able to escape.

I find it baffling that the presidency seems to have such a poor yet highly selective recollection *1.

One would have hoped that the staff of the presidency would be on hand to assist their somewhat temporarily amnesiac boss, Thabo Mbeki, who has "no recollection" of ever meeting senior personnel of the French arms manufacturer Thint.

Personally, I refuse to believe that the man has forgotten an encounter in which serious and very costly business relating to navy corvettes was discussed. I don't believe it.

Mbeki's longtime friend and cabinet member, Essop Pahad, also seems to suffer from Mbeki's incredible *2 amnesia.

There were rather subdued noises from the offices of the presidency earlier this year when the German media wondered very loudly about a top South African politician who had been central to the arms purchases in Germany and who was being paid substantial bribes, laundered through Swiss banks.

It was all dismissed as attempts to vilify Mbeki and tarnish his reputation, but that did not stop the speculation, and it also did not elicit any convincing denials.

Above that, one must remember that a damning letter handed to Gavin Woods, former parliamentary head of Scopa, stressed that Judge Willem Heath's investigating unit had no need to investigate the multibillion rand arms deal. The letter was signed by the parliamentary leader of government business, former deputy president Jacob Zuma.

It was that letter, incidentally, which lead Judge Hillary Squires to convict Schabir Schaik (sic - Shaik) because the missive had "proved" that, indeed, there had been a "generally corrupt relationship" between Zuma and Schaik.

Yet the letter had been drafted by the presidency, and Zuma had merely been instructed to sign it and hand it over to Woods.

The presidency has since admitted the circumstances surrounding the letter, but the question has to be asked: "Why was the admission not made during the trial, because it would not have broken the sub judice rule but actually helped to guide the court?"

Now suddenly - and I would assume that it is all because Zuma, in his own trial, has politely but unmistakingly pointed to Mbeki as the person who knows the truth about the arms deal, having been central to negotiations - Pahad's rusty memory comes alive, and he actually confirms he did meet a representative of the French arms bidders.

He says: "My office has informed me that such a meeting - which was with Mr Alain Thetard - did occur. This was on February 23, 1999, when I was deputy minister. I have no recollection of the details of the discussion, though it would be normal for contacts with persons across a wide spectrum of society routinely to take place."

Strange, is it not, that Pahad has "no recollection of the details of the discussion"?

Didn't Mbeki and Pahad's people minute the encounters? And if not, why not?

Or were the discussions of such a clandestine nature that no records were kept?

As I say, the admission that the meeting with Thetard "did occur" represents the first trickle of truth, and we must all ready ourselves in a little while for the floodgates to open.

The truth, as they say, will out.

This article appeared in the Sunday Sun and on News24

With acknowledgements to Jon Qwelane and the Friends of Jacob Zuma website.


*1       It's not baffling at all. The documentary record (evidence trail) shows that the meeting(s) happened. The President's men have admitted that the meeting happened. So beyond a reasonable doubt the meeting(s) happened.

If the President denies that the meeting(s) happened he will be fond to be a liar.

If the President admits that the meeting(s) happened he will be unable to explain them.

Now this, Mr Netshitenzhe, is Catch-22. Your boss is damned.


Damned if We Do, Damned if We Don't
The Mercury
2005-01-14
Joel Netshitenzhe


*2       Incredible is actually the correct word.