More ANC leaders said to be implicated

The ANC's national executive committee is to discuss an explosive report on the arms deal that is likely to prod senior leaders to demand that the investigation into the country's biggest armament acquisition be reopened.

The report follows the party's decision earlier this year to have its own inquiry into the controversial deal.

The inquiry was conducted by a task group comprising ANC deputy president Kga-lema Motlanthe, Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and businessman Cyril Ramaphosa.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe confirmed last night that the report would be tabled before the National Executive Committee.

"There is an NEC meeting on Friday. It will be discussed there," Mantashe said.

The report was not tabled at the national working committee yesterday because some of the ANC's senior leaders had not studied it. However, the report is said to give details of the scale of corruption in the arms acquisition, and implicate more ANC leaders.

Some NEC members are already raising the possibility of reopening the the controversial arms deal case, despite party leaders denying earlier this year that the ANC probe was aimed at doing so.

An NEC leader said last week that the ANC inquiry report "will show that there has been a selective prosecution regarding the arms deal. Real suspects are roaming the streets".

Another NEC member said last night that the report would show that ANC president Jacob Zuma "is made to take the blame" while others implicated "remain untouched".

Both NEC members refused to be named because the issue was still to go before the full NEC meeting this weekend.

The government's own investigation in 2001 found no corruption in the arms deal, while Zuma is facing several criminal charges, partly and indirectly related to the saga.

If his trial goes ahead, he is expected to implicate his former Cabinet colleagues and ANC comrades, including President Thabo Mbeki.

Zuma is expected to be fully briefed when he returns from his European trip this week.

Mantashe said in January that the new ANC NEC wanted to be told about the magnitude of the arms deal scandal and how it affected Zuma.

Mantashe indicated then that there was a possibility of reopening the case.

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

"Because once we get the information we are in a better position to make an informed pronouncement, to take decisions and to locate this case and charges of the president (Zuma) within a broader context."

Cosatu general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and his SACP counterpart, Blade Nzimande, said at the alliance summit that the arms deal investigations by foreign governments were an indication of Mbeki's leadership crisis.

German and British law enforcement agencies are in-vestigating corruption related to their own companies' involvement in South Africa's arms deal.

With acknowledgements to Moshoeshoe Monare and Cape Argus.