Publication: Cape Argus
Issued:
Date: 2007-12-30
Reporter: Editorial
At last the National Prosecuting Authority has cast
the die, setting Thursday August 14, 2008, as the day Jacob Zuma will
appear in court to face charges of corruption, fraud, money-laundering,
racketeering and tax evasion. An 88-page indictment was delivered to Zuma's
Johannesburg home on Friday while he was distributing festive goodwill in
KwaZulu-Natal.
Naturally enough, Zuma detected a conspiracy in the eight-month gap between the
delivery of the papers by the Scorpions - coming just 10 days after his election
as ANC leader and 12 days before his "state of the party" speech - and the trial
date.
The timing gave credence "to the long-held view that the Scorpions are
influenced and their prosecution informed by political
considerations", he said.
The DA, meanwhile, said the development showed the
opposite, but MP Sheila Camerer made the curious
comment that "we have been in constant contact with the NPA about their progress
and are confident the charges will stick".
Whatever the truth of the matter, South Africa is headed into a year of
political turmoil, with a ruling party in a state of upheaval, two centres of
power and the anointed presidential successor under a cloud of suspicion.
When Robert Kennedy spoke at the University of Cape Town on June 6, 1966, and
wished South Africa "interesting times *1", he
couldn't have predicted just how interesting they were going to become within a
couple of generations.
With acknowledgements to Cape Argus.
*1 The German Prosecuting Authority
just needs to launch its prosecutions of 9 or 10 senior Thyssen executives along
with the evidence of the involvement of inter alia, Thabo Mbeki, Mendi Msimang,
Tony Georgadis, Sven Moeller, Rear Admiral (Junior Grade) Jonathan Eduard Gold
Kamerman, Frits Norté, Ian Pierce and my personal favorite, Dr Shamim Shaik *2 [MDipTech
(MS Sultan College), MS (San Diego State University), PhD *3*4 (University of
Natal)] and then we are really in for interesting times over the next 48
to 60 months.
*2 May all his finesses go right.
*3 The 2002 award of the degree is under the review of the
Higher Degrees Committee of the University of KwaZulu-Natal
*4 On the subject of doctorates in engineering, Mr Pierre
Jean-Marie Robert Moynot claims (under oath) to have a qualification equivalent
to a PhD in Naval Architecture and Engineering from the Direction des
Constructions et Armes Navales (Naval Construction and Weapons Board), the
French counter-part of the Naval Division of Armscor.
Interestingly, this qualification was allegedly obtained in 1966. With the
claimant having been born on 1944-07-25, this would have been at the age of 22.
Normally a first engineering degree in the RSA takes at least four years with
graduates typically being of the age 21 to 23. Then there is the Masters degree
which takes another 2 to 3 years and then the doctorate which takes a minimum of
3 years full-time, but normally 5 to 6 years and often longer.
So the Monsieur must be an extremely bright fellow, or the French DCN doctorate
is not quite of the same standard or the Monsieur is up to conversation de la
merde ŕ la hausse.