Publication: Sapa Issued: Johannesburg Date: 2005-08-18 Reporter: Sapa Reporter:

Zuma Raids Could Lead to 'Turmoil'

 

Publication 

Sapa
SCORPIONS-N/L-ZUMA
Date

2005-08-18

Issued

Johannesburg

Reporter

Sapa

 

Supporters of axed deputy president Jacob Zuma warned of turmoil in South Africa's democracy after prosecutors raided his homes in Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday.

The raids started around 6.30am when gun-wielding Scorpions entered the mansion that Zuma is living in, in the quiet tree-lined Johannesburg suburb of Forest Town.

The Scorpions, who were looking for evidence to add to Zuma's corruption trial, also raided his traditional homestead in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Scorpions confirmed that raids were also conducted on the Durban home of Zuma's financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, on the offices of his personal lawyer Julie Mahomed and on the offices of his attorney, Michael Hulley.

Several residences and offices in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the Western Cape and Mpumalanga were searched.

The house of Zweli Mkhize, KwaZulu-Natal's economic affairs MEC, was said to have been raided.

Raids were also reported on the home and offices of Pierre Moynot, the managing director of Thint, the African division of French arms company Thales, formerly known as Thomson International.

In June, judge Hilary Squires found that Zuma, 63, was aware of Shaik's efforts to facilitate a R500 000 a year bribe from Thint Holdings to shield it from a possible investigation into the multi-billion rand arms deal.

The Scorpions ended their search of Zuma's Johannesburg home shortly after noon and sped off with two computer hard drives wrapped in green plastic and two boxes filled with papers and notes.

Zuma, dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt, was seen accompanying the Scorpions as they walked through the garden to the back of the house.

A few hours after the raids started, four of Zuma's bodyguards, armed with automatic weapons, screeched up to the house in a black Jeep with flashing blue lights and tapped their guns on the gate.

The men cocked their rifles and told members of the Scorpions to put down their guns.

They then entered the premises and were later seen arguing with the Scorpions.

A member of the Scorpions told the men to stay calm.

Zuma was fired by President Thabo Mbeki earlier this year after Squires found that a "generally corrupt" relationship had existed between Zuma and Shaik.

Shortly after being sacked, Zuma was charged on two counts of corruption in the Durban Magistrate's Court. He is due to appear in court again on October 11.

The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu), which has called for Zuma's reinstatement, said on Thursday that the "political persecution" of Zuma had begun to divide the tripartite alliance between the African National Congress, the SA Communist Party and Cosatu.

The organisation's general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, read a statement on behalf of Cosatu's leadership.

"The political prosecution of Jacob Zuma risks plunging our new democracy into turmoil," he said.

"It has already begun to divide our movement."

Hulley told journalists outside Zuma's Johannesburg home that the state was using tactics of "charge and investigate later.

"It seems that the state is engaging in a fishing expedition *1.

"For the past five years, the state has had the opportunity to investigate this case. These matters ought to have been dealt with long ago. *2"

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) denied that there were sinister motives behind the swoop.

NPA spokesman Makhosini Nkosi said the operation was a normal procedure in furtherance of the investigation against Zuma "to obtain as much evidence as possible".

It was executed in terms of a Pretoria High Court order obtained on August 12.

"In as far as the evidence at our disposal is concerned, we already have enough to make out a case," said Nkosi, who would not rule out more such operations in future.

Material gathered would be analysed by investigators over the next "several weeks", Nkosi told reporters in Pretoria.

Nkosi declined to give details of the premises searched or of the individuals concerned, other than confirming that Zuma and Shaik were among them.

Shaik was sentenced to an effective 15 years in prison after being found guilty on fraud and corruption charges.

Both Mahomed and Mkhize were called as witnesses in Shaik's fraud and corruption trial.

Mahomed was the lawyer who drew up a so-called "revolving loan" agreement between Shaik and Zuma in 1999.

No original copy of this agreement has been found to date.

The agreement was produced in support of evidence that Zuma had not taken a bribe from Shaik but had meant to repay money given to him.

Mkhize's evidence was related to his tenure as treasurer general of the African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal.

Former president Nelson Mandela had given R2 million to Zuma, half of which was destined for the Jacob Zuma Education Trust Fund and the other half for a company called Development Africa.

Development Africa was a trust fund set up to deal with welfare issues not strictly in the budget of the ANC.

However, when Shaik saw the remaining R1 million in Zuma's account he had no idea what it was for and used it for various payments, including the payment of debts in his own company. Those debts were mainly linked to Zuma, his trial was told.

Shaik still owes R500 000 to Development Africa.

With acknowledgement to Sapa.

*1  Fishing expedition to fish for corrupt men.

*2  Concur - these matters ought to have been dealt with long ago.