Publication: Cape Argus Issued: Date: 2008-01-13 Reporter: Moshoeshoe Monare

Ministers 'Stunned' by the Arms Deal

 

Publication 

Cape Argus
Date

2008-01-13
Reporter Moshoeshoe Monare

Web Link

www.capeargus.co.za

 

Some of President Thabo Mbeki's Cabinet colleagues in the new ANC national executive committee (NEC) privately confided to the Jacob Zuma party leadership that they were stunned, or not properly briefed, about the arms deal.

They did not come to Mbeki's defence when his authority was indirectly challenged, in his absence, by the party's second highest decision-making body which decided last week to open the Pandora's box of the arms deal.

This is despite the fact that some of the decisions were taken by the Cabinet in which they, and Zuma, served.

Weekend Argus learnt last week that some Cabinet members, who had been retained in the NEC when most of Mbeki allies were rejected at the national conference in Polokwane, "pleaded ignorance" of the arms deal conundrum.

They implied that Mbeki did not take them into their confidence, or they were not part of the controversial decisions which triggered criminal investigations.

Only a few, such as Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, were said to be uncomfortable about how the ANC wanted to approach and revisit the arms deal saga that had rattled the party.

Manuel did not express his opinion on the issue at the NEC meeting last week, and his other colleagues privately wanted to stay away from the arms deal conundrum and refused to defend Mbeki.

This was partly the reason why the ANC took a decision to set up a committee to draw "a detailed factual report on the arms deal to enable the NEC to apply its mind on the issues and provide leadership".

Although ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said this was not the reopening of the arms deal, he did not rule out the possibility.

"The NEC says before we can say should we open the arms deal or not, we need to go into the details of the arms deal," he said.

Mbeki may have to answer the questions of the committee, which is indirectly investigating if Zuma was unfairly targeted.

"Once we get that report we can take an informed decision on what to do and locate this case and charges against the president within that broader context," Mantashe said.

In his previous affidavits, Zuma had fingered Mbeki as "very much involved in the arms deal".

"He took an active interest in it.

"He engaged with various role players and other interested parties. He has been scurrilously accused of being party to improprieties in this regard," Zuma said in 2005 before charges against him were thrown out in court in 2006.

Zuma is facing criminal charges related to the arms deal and he, according to new ANC treasure-general Mathews Phosa, told the new NEC how he was ill-treated by the National Prosecuting Authority on the matter.

"The president had time (on Monday) to really go back into it again, so that new members of the NEC understand exactly where things broke down," Phosa told reporters last week.

He said the ANC would stand by Zuma "through and through".

* This article was originally published on page 3 of The Cape Argus on January 13, 2008

 
Related Articles

With acknowledgements to Moshoeshoe Monare and Cape Argus.


*1       If these dweezils are stunned about the arms deal they will be comatose if they let me brief them for a few hours *2.


*2      Which I tried to do on many occasions, inter alia :
But they did not listen,
they did not know how,
and look who's crying now.

[with apologies to Don McLean]


And now they've got to deal with the cover-up too and not just the acquisition chicanery.

If they deal with anything at all, an' all.