Temperatures are rising within the tripartite alliance and the government over allegations that African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma received a multimillion-rand donation from Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi during his recent trip to that country.
Two sources in the ANC-led alliance claimed this week to have knowledge that money was donated to help Zuma, whose defence in his rape and corruption trials has become prohibitively expensive. His undeclared presidential campaign may also have added to the financial strain on him and his supporters.
A figure that has been doing the rounds as Gadaffi’s alleged contribution is $2-million (R12-million). The cost of Zuma’s corruption trial defence was estimated by the Friends of the Jacob Zuma Trust in June at R12-million. The Star estimated this week that Zuma’s rape trial defence would “conservatively” cost him between R1,2-million and R1,9-million.
The funding allegations have drawn the interest of authorities, including the Financial Intelligence Centre, the Mail & Guardian has established. A civilian intelligency agency is also alleged to be looking into the issue. Unless there is evidence that the law was broken to get the money into South Africa or to Zuma, such official interest is likely to add to complaints by the Zuma camp that state resources are being abused to undermine his political ambitions.
Two weeks ago the Sunday Times reported that Zuma had travelled to Tripoli, Libya, in December, where he met Gadaffi. The meeting took place two weeks after Zuma announced his voluntary withdrawal from official ANC activities and after his first appearance on rape charges in the Johannesburg High Court on March 6.
At the time it was reported that it was unclear whether the visit was of a personal nature or was linked to the fundraising campaign of the Friends of the Jacob Zuma Trust, chaired by Durban businessman Don Mkhwanazi.
The trust, which had virtually run dry, indicated late last year that it intended to go abroad to galvanise its fundraising efforts.
This week allegations emerged that Mkhwanazi accompanied Zuma to Libya. Mkhwanazi denied this, saying he had never been to Libya. He also denied the trust had received anything from Gadaffi. ” I know nothing about it; we know nothing about it,” he said.
He said had first heard of the allegations when he was contacted by a reporter two months ago.
Asked whether it was possible that Libyan funding could have come to the trust ostensibly from another donor, he said: “I don’t know of any … funding to the trust that I can call significant.”
It has been speculated that Zuma’s trip had been facilitated by Blade Nzimande, secretary general of the South African Communist Party, who met Gadaffi in Tripoli a day before Zuma’s meeting with him.
Nzimande has denied that he cleared the way for Zuma, saying his trip was at the invitation of the Libyans, who “wanted to establish relations”.
The Sunday Times also reported that Zuma’s trip was preceded by a high-level Cosatu delegation to Libya, which had met Gadaffi a week before Zuma’s visit. Both Cosatu and the SACP have been vociferous Zuma supporters, particularly during his corruption trial.
Their official positions, however, have veered towards adopting a “wait-and-see” approach towards Zuma’s rape charge. If Cosatu or SACP leaders had indeed helped Zuma raise significant donations after the rape trial opened, this could lead to charges that they did not toe the line of their respective organisations.
Nzimande said this week: “I don’t know anything about that [allegation of a donation] … I’m not part of fundraising.” He warned that he was aware of the people “who are planting this story … we know what their agenda is … they are playing a completely dangerous game.”
He said he would raise the issue of the alleged donation in the SACP politburo on Friday and in the party’s central executive committee meeting later this month. “[The people who have planted the story] aim to destroy JZ. We know it is people within the movement.”
Detailed questions sent to the Libyan embassy this week on the alleged Gadaffi donation were unanswered at the time of going to press.
Ranjeni Munusamy, Zuma’s spokesperson, said: “The problem is I can’t contact Mr Zuma now. He is away.”
Additional reporting by Vicki Robinson and Stefaans Brümmer