The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of ”blatant hypocrisy” in its reaction to the allegations of bribery and inappropriate conduct by Deputy President Jacob Zuma.
”Despite the fact that the Scorpions are taking these allegations seriously, the ANC has dismissed them as ‘really a very minor thing’ and ‘really just allegations’,” DA representative Raenette Taljaard said in a statement.
Zuma was first catapulted into the spotlight after the Mail&Guardian reported that the deputy president is under investigation by the Scorpions for allegedly soliciting a R500 000 bribe to influence the arms deal.
Taljaard said that when then DA Western Cape leader Gerald Morkel found himself in similar circumstances this year, the ANC called for his head. The ANC repeatedly accused the DA and its leader of refusing to take action against Morkel, said Taljaard.
Morkel was the subject of a commission of inquiry into allegations that he — and the DA — received money from alleged fraudster Jurgen Harksen.
Taljaard said Deputy President Zuma’s ”continuing relationship with (businessman) Schabir Shaik … extending even to inviting him along on his official overseas trips… is extremely inappropriate”.
Shaik is facing criminal charges of theft of secret State documents, including cabinet documents, she noted.
”But over and above this, the allegations of corruption and bribery against Zuma are far more serious than any of those levelled against Morkel.”
Taljaard said while it may be Zuma’s right to invite whomever he likes to accompany him on his international trips, the deputy president had a responsibility to behave within tighter constraints than an ordinary citizen.
Taljaard noted that when the allegations were made against Morkel, the DA set up an internal commission of inquiry to probe them. In addition it commissioned an independent forensic audit of the party’s books in the Western Cape as well as an audit of the affairs of Morkel and former Western Cape finance MEC Leon Markovitz.
The DA federal council also ”unanimously adopted a resolution severely censuring Morkel for his entirely inappropriate relationship with Harksen”.
If the ANC were at all consistent, she said ”it would take action against Zuma for his inappropriate relationship with Shaik and Mbeki should appoint an inquiry”.
Zuma’s representative Lekela Kaunda has repeatedly said that all the allegations of bribery were designed to cast negative aspersions on his integrity. She said he regarded the allegations as mischievous.
According to the Sunday Times, Shaik, who is also being investigated by the Scorpions over a R500 000 a year arms deal bribe, accompanied Zuma on a trip to Senegal in April for a conference on financing Nepad.
This was five months after his arrest for allegedly being in possession of classified cabinet minutes that gave him an unfair advantage over competitors bidding for contracts in the country’s multi-billion rand arms deal.
Zuma and Shaik are being probed by the Scorpions over an alleged bribe from a French defence group which won a significant corvette contract. – I-Net Bridge, Sapa, staff reporter