The Democratic Alliance yesterday welcomed reports that prosecution authorities had questioned South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Barbara Masekela, over a controversial arms deal.

The National Prosecution Authority (NPA) reportedly questioned Masekela on an alleged meeting between President Thabo Mbeki and French arms company Thint, now a co-accused in the Jacob Zuma corruption trial.

Mbeki has, on numerous occasions, said he could not remember whether he met with Thint officials while on a state visit to France in 1998.

But his detractors, mainly Zuma supporters, have used this to cast doubt on Mbeki’s innocence regarding the arms deal.

They believe the charges against Zuma were shifting attention to the wrong man.

But the NPA said there was no basis or credible evidence warranting an investigation against Mbeki.

In affidavits filed with the Pietermaritzburg High Court last month, Zuma also suggested that Mbeki was the right man to be asked about corruption in the arms deal since he actively took part in the procurement process.

DA MP Eddie Trent said the party also wanted the NPA to question Mbeki as well as Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad. Pahad is also alleged to have met one of the company’s bosses in 1999.

“We believe the questioning of South Africa’s ambassador to the US, Ms Barbara Masekela, is long overdue,” said the DA. “Apart from the president himself, there are many others that should be questioned (like) Essop Pahad (who) documented a diary entry that details meetings between him and Alain Thetard at the Union Buildings in 1999, and has been in the public domain since the Schabir Shaik fraud trial.”

Trent said Mbeki must also answer how the alleged secret meetings met the constitutional requirement “that the acquisition of goods and service must be fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost effective”.

Trent also challenged Mbeki to assure the country that neither the ANC nor any other individual or organisations benefited directly or indirectly from the arms deal.

The SACP said yesterday that it also believed the ANC should lead a comprehensive review of the entire arms procurement package.

This should include “a reinvestigation, given the many questions that continue to cloud this procurement process”, and a look at how the government could have entered into such a costly project.

With acknowledgements to Thokozani Mtshali and Cape Argus.