Publication: Business Day Issued: Date: 2006-08-01 Reporter: Vukani Mde Reporter: Edward West

Zuma Points Accusing Finger at The State

 

Publication 

Business Day
Date 2006-08-01

Reporter

 Vukani Mde, Edward West

Web Link

www.businessday.co.za

 

African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Jacob Zuma claimed yesterday that the state was involved in an effort to prevent him becoming president of SA through lengthy delays in his corruption trial.

Judge Herbert Msimang yesterday postponed the trial in the Pietermaritzburg High Court until September 5.

Zuma, along with French arms company Thint, is facing two charges of corruption stemming from the country’s controversial arms deal. He has denied any wrongdoing, and suggested there could be a political conspiracy to discredit him.

“Just as there are a number of ANC members, members of other parties and members of the public who have come out in support of me being the next president, so there are those in public and in government who are very much opposed to me being president, and indeed some who wish me to have no role to play in the politics of this country,” Zuma said in a lengthy affidavit submitted by his legal team yesterday.

The affidavit was filed in response to the state’s application for a postponement of the trial until February next year.

Zuma said the state wanted to delay proceedings for “speculative efforts to obtain evidence”, and was being used to fuel a political conspiracy to remove him as a role-player in the ANC’s succession battle.

Msimang adjourned the proceedings to give prosecutors time to prepare their response to an application by Zuma’s lawyers to have the case dismissed.

Zuma, who has often threatened to reveal details of a wide-scale “political conspiracy” against him, signalled in his application that he would draw President Thabo Mbeki to the centre of his defence.

“Indeed, I had just about nothing *1 to do with the entire arms deal,” Zuma said.

He said Mbeki was “very much involved in the arms-deal process” *2, and had engaged with various role players and other interested parties. *3

“He is a person ideally and obviously suited to depose to the absence of corruption in the award process,” Zuma said. He said, however, that accusations that Mbeki had acted improperly in the arms deal were false. *4

Zuma said the charges had had a devastating effect on his political and personal life.

“I lost the deputy presidency,” he said. “I am viewed with suspicion. I have been branded a corrupt criminal *5 in the press. My future political role and eligibility as a candidate for the presidency has been severely and negatively affected. It has placed a tremendous strain on my personal life.”

With acknowledgements to Vukani Mde, Edward West and Business Day.


*1       Zuma had just about nothing official to do with the Arms Deal, but plenty to do with the corvette combat suite deal between Thomson-CSF Navale, ADS and Nkobi Holdings unofficially on the side.


*4      Zuma is caught bulldusting in his first affidavit. How can he know that accusations that Mbeki had acted improperly in the arms deal were false.

If he knows that Mbeki was “very much involved in the arms-deal process” *2 and had engaged with various role players and other interested parties *3 and that such engagements were secret, remain unexplained and inexplicable, then Mbeki's conduct has to be improper.


*5      Because this can be the only conclusion after the Shaikh verdict.