Former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein, who resigned over government attempts to block an investigation of the arms deal, has written a no-holds-barred book about his experiences. Chris Barron asked him...

Were you nervous about writing this book?

Not really. I was a little apprehensive because I feared that some people would see it as, “Oh, my God, here we go, same way as the rest of Africa.”

Pessimists might say that perhaps we will go the same way?

I don’t think that, to be honest. I think we are facing extremely challenging times but I do have great faith in the ability of the ANC to regenerate itself. If it doesn’t happen post-December, it will happen eventually. Both Thabo and Jacob have shown themselves to lack the moral leadership that both the ANC and the country requires. I just think it might take a little longer for the ANC to realise that.

How worried should we be about a Zuma presidency?

If he feels that he owes those people who have supported him through thick and thin various debts and has to repay them by fundamentally changing economic policy, by allowing a degree of patronage to take place … then I think we do need to be worried.

How easy would it be for an individual to change economic policy?

I think there are institutional structures in place that will make it quite challenging. But obviously the president of the ANC would have significant influence to do that. If he decides to be aggressive in the way he demands things from government as head of the ANC, then I think he could go a fair way to changing economic policy.

Even before he becomes president of the country?

Oh, yes. The reality is that what will undoubtedly happen if there is a split presidency between the ANC and the country for an 18-month period I think you are going to see the ANC as a party, and particularly the presidency of the ANC, assert itself.

What then? Paralysis?

I would argue that we’re probably in that situation already. The ANC is so paralysed by the succession battle that the sense I have is that everybody has taken their eye off governance. I think if Mbeki were to come back (as ANC president) it would also continue because the major splits that have developed around the succession wouldn’t just disappear.

Do you think Mbeki benefited personally from the arms deal?

No, not in terms of the information and evidence I have. My sense is that what he did was he either himself solicited money for the ANC or certainly condoned the soliciting of money for the ANC from the successful bidders.

How many in Cabinet including people like Trevor Manuel and Alec Erwin would have known about this?

A very difficult question to answer. I do have a feeling that the reason the ANC closed ranks the way they did around the arms deal was probably because a lot of key people were told.

Who protected Chippy Shaik and why?

The leadership of the ANC, the presidency and certainly Joe Modise, and the Speaker of Parliament, whether inadvertently or not.

Inadvertently?

She protected him as part of a party decision to close down the investigation. I would doubt that she (Frene Ginwale) knew specifically of Chippy’s actions. But when it became absolutely apparent that Chippy had lied to Parliament on three occasions I wrote her an open letter saying that surely Parliament must take some action. I never received a reply and no action was ever forthcoming. Now the Germans have uncovered extremely compelling evidence that Chippy solicited and received a bribe of 3-million. That calls into question every contract in the arms deal. If the head of procurement at the time is shown to have solicited and received bribes then in terms of the Public Finance Management Act that is sufficient reason to render them null and void.

How do you see it unfolding?

I think that nothing is going to happen here. The truth of the arms deal will emerge from investigations in the UK and Germany where they are investigating more than 200-million of bribes that were paid in the South African deal.

How do you explain the silence of people of supposed integrity in the leadership of the ANC and in Cabinet on the arms deal, Aids, Zimbabwe …?

Unfortunately, the only explanation I have is that on these questions they’ve decided to put the party before the nation. And I find it absolutely tragic. Some of them have not just been silent, they’ve been openly supportive of the President on these issues.

With acknowledgement to Chris Barron and The Times.