It is now almost 10 years that South Africa has been preoccupied with the Zuma affair, and in the process profoundly suffocated by the side effects of this debacle which has become an albatross around the neck of this country.

Is it all fair, in terms of the law and the constitution, that a suspect can be investigated for almost a decade without any possibility of finalising the investigation?

Notwithstanding the fact that Zuma has made incessant legal challenges against his prosecution, which in terms of the constitution, is correct and legal, it is really disturbing and peculiar that Zuma, as it is alleged, is the only chief beneficiary of the arms deal which has cost about R60-billion.

Why are we South Africans not asking the tough questions surrounding the arms deal? *1 Is it really possible that only Zuma and a few small fry like Tony Yengeni are the only people who allegedly benefited from this transaction? Did SA really need the arms deal in the first place? Who were the first advocates of this monster? Who chaired and attended the earlier meetings that took place in the dark boardrooms? What were the motivations for the ratification of the arms deal?

I candidly find it unfathomable that the country can be held to ransom by the selfish desire of those who are hell-bent to nail one individual allegedly for having corruptly benefited from this transaction *2 to the exclusion of other people whose names have been repeatedly mentioned as having either equally or even disproportionately benefited from the arms deal.

Political historians have extensively written on arms deals around the world and it seems apparent that gross corruption, bribery, cronyism and all sorts of criminality prominently feature as a common denominator in these transactions. It should be mentioned that because of big monies involved in these deals, people pocket hundreds of millions in the form of kickbacks.

Surprisingly it is alleged that Mr Zuma solicited R500 000 for a period of five years which could have amounted to a meagre R2.5 million.

Newspaper reports have recently mentioned very interesting names of people who have allegedly benefited.

It is quite interesting that the name of Mbeki keeps on featuring in these reports.

Then, why is Mbeki not being investigated *3 based on these allegations in order either to clear him or link him with the arms deal alleged corruption, if any?

We should recall that it was actually Mbeki and not Zuma who chaired meetings that dealt with the arms deal. *4

Very interestingly, it is Mbeki and not Zuma who famously forgot a meeting that he attended in France *6 which dealt with some nitty-gritties of the arms deal.

More interestingly, this very meeting was actually confirmed to have taken place by a South Africa ambassador.

These are some of the interesting shenanigans surrounding this arms deal, Zuma's prosecution and non-prosecution of others.

My humble submission is that this Zuma affair has seriously affected the soul of this country and its people as if everything depended on it for SA to move on.

Are we prepared to go through this emotional pain at the expense of issues such as development and prosperity?

Surely, this Zuma affair has bled and continues to bleed this country to gradual death? *7

Benzi Ka-Soko
Popcru National Spokesperson

With acknowledgements to Benzi Ka-Soko and The Star.

• Alain Peter Thetard;
• Pierre Jean-Marie Robert  Moynot;
• Jann Yann Leo Renaud de Jomaron;
• Michael Denis;
• Bernard Paris de Bollardiere;
• Jean-Paul Perrier.

And what about Jean-Yves Ollivier *8?

*9      The other occult shareholder of ADS via Thomson-CSF Holding Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd via the special purpose vehicle Gestilac Gestion S.A. registered in Geneva Switzerland? *10

And favorite of another Mr "Innocent" Nelson Rolithlatla Mandela.


*10     Yet another angle for the man-strapped DSO/NPA/HPCU to investigate.