Zuma's accuser was told to drop charge

The best friend of Jacob Zuma’s rape accuser on Tuesday corroborated the complainant’s earlier testimony that a lawyer tried to get her to drop the charge.

Nomthandazo Msidi, known as Kimi, told the court that her friend went to the lawyer to discuss Beeld newspaper’s publishing her picture in contravention of the law.

Msidi works in the same office as Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils.

Msidi, her boyfriend, the complainant and her mother met lawyer Yusuf Docrat at a restaurant opposite Bruma lake in Johannesburg. Msidi said as far as her friend was concerned, the meeting was about the photograph in Beeld.

The woman’s mother was concerned that her daughter might be “tired” and wanted to discuss options about the charge.

The court heard last week that KwaZulu-Natal finance MEC Zweli Mkhize had set up this meeting as part of mediation efforts between the complainant and Zuma.

“[The woman] went about the Beeld thing.

Her mother had concerns about the trial,” Msidi said.

She was surprised when the subject turned to the withdrawal of charges. Msidi said Docrat repeatedly advised her to withdraw the charge. Later, while walking with her to the car, the complainant said he was pushing her to withdraw the charge. She told him she would think about it “just to make him let go”.

She testified that the complainant asked her to phone Kasrils to discuss her security concerns, but said she would rather not because of the professional relationship she had with Kasrils.

The complainant already had Kasrils’ phone number from a previous discussion with him about her studies in Australia.

Replying to Zuma’s lawyer Kemp J Kemp’s questions, she said she was aware there was a pro and anti-Zuma camp.

She said she would rather not answer the question about which camp she thought Kasrils was in.

“My boss is my boss. I don’t look at him in terms of what camp he is in,” said Msidi.

She insisted Zuma would have known that her friend saw him as a father.

Kemp then asked her if Zuma knew that Msidi also saw him as a father, to which she replied “I would hope so”.

Proceedings were adjourned for lunch. - Sapa