JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Nelspruit | Friday
FORMER Mpumalanga premier Mathews Phosas allegations about a plot to discredit him in top political circles look set to backfire after a key witness dramatically retracted his affidavit this week. The retraction came amid suggestions that Deputy President Jacob Zuma had attempted to quash criminal investigations into Phosas associates.
The witness, staunch Phosa ally and disgraced African National Congress youth leader James Nkambule, confessed this week that he was put under pressure by Phosa and his associates into making an affidavit that falsely supported allegations of a conspiracy against the former Mpumalanga premier.
Nkambule alleges in a seven-page confidential report and a separate five-page affidavit to the ANC presidency that Phosa summonsed him to a meeting in Pretoria on February 10 and ordered him to sign a damning statement alleging that senior party officials had plotted to smear and sideline Phosa.
The alleged plot against Phosa included the manufacture of lies that led to the arrest by the Scorpions three weeks ago of Phosas former special adviser and confidant, Pieter Rootman, on charges of donor fraud involving R1m.
Nkambule contends that the affidavit given to him by Phosa was drafted by Rootman and merely handed to him for his signature. Zuma allegedly telephoned Rootman in Nkambules presence to establish if Nkambule was prepared to put his name to it.
Zuma dodged questions on the incident over the past week. He also declined on Saturday last week to explain his role in other apparent attempts to dismiss criminal fraud charges against Rootman.
Zuma met former Mpumalanga finance MEC Jacques Modipane and provincial legislature speaker William Lubisi last year for a briefing on the evidence against Rootman. Lubisi insisted on Thursday that he could not recall the meeting at the upmarket White River home of armoured vehicle manufacturer Nora Fakude. But Modipane confirmed the informal discussions. – African Eye News Service
*FULL REPORT
ZA*NOW:
Widespread license fraud closes testing centre March 13, 2001
Admit you lied, Phosa tells ANC March 7, 2001
Mpumalanga health MEC to explain negligence March 5, 2001
Taxpayer forks out for dodgy houses February 26, 2001
Incompetence rules … February 13, 2001
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