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Zuma owes me nothing - Ngobeni |
| Publication | Sunday Independent |
| Date | 2009-05-02 |
| Reporter | Leila Samodien |
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Web Link |
The University of Cape Town's controversial deputy registrar, Paul Ngobeni, who
was part of the team that saved president-in-waiting Jacob Zuma from
prosecution, says he will remain at the university.
Ngobeni, who has denied he is a wanted man in the United States, is the
university's deputy registrar of legal services.
He was also part of the "brains trust", a team of legal and academic experts
that drove Zuma's defence.
Now that the charges of corruption and fraud have been dropped and the ANC has
triumphed at the election polls, Ngobeni said Zuma owed him nothing. "For me, it
is not about jobs for pals," he said.
He would therefore not consider moving to a government position, nor had he been
offered one, he said.
Instead, he would remain at UCT, where he would have "the independence to think"
and the opportunity to contribute to the academic arena.
Before joining Zuma's team, Ngobeni hit headlines for all the wrong reasons.
He is allegedly a wanted man in the US, where he has reportedly been disbarred
from practising law in Massachusetts after having lost his licence in the
neighbouring state of Connecticut.
He was admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1989, but was suspended in 2005 after
the bar alleged 17 counts of misconduct against him, including taking fees
without providing a service, incompetence, lack of diligence, failure to
communicate with clients, misrepresentation and deceit.
However, Ngobeni has denied he is a fugitive, saying earlier this week that he
had been in contact with the court and that he would return to the US in June
for a while.
He said his work on the brains trust was part of a process that helped to
restore "credibility to the system of justice".
Ngobeni, who was appointed at UCT in 2007, has also courted controversy by
publicly defending Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe. Ngobeni has been an
ally of Judge Hlophe's since the Oasis moonlighting scandal.
Ngobeni also backed Judge Hlophe in his rift with several Constitutional Court
judges, who accused him of trying to influence their decision on matters
relating to Zuma.
With acknowledgements to
Leila Samodien and Sunday Independent.