/ 1 June 2007

‘Echoes of run-up to Hani murder’

The SACP has warned that several mysterious recent leaks about assassinations and coup plots bear the hallmarks and sophistication of government security agencies and resemble a series of events that took place before the killing of SACP secretary general Chris Hani in 1993.

Some senior members of the party believe they are being spied upon and are convinced it has to do with their opposition to government policies and support for ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma.

Last week Cosatu was sent a document, whose origin is unknown, claiming that Zuma had plotted to overthrow President Thabo Mbeki’s government with the assistance of foreign governments.

The document, titled Special Browse Mole Consolidated Report, said Zuma was funded by Libyan President Moammar Gadaffi and Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santo, among others, to organise a popular rebellion against the current government.

SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande was implicated in the document, which said his visit to Libya ahead of a visit by Zuma was to prepare the ground for him.

Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils has insisted that the National Intelligence Agency did not write the document, while the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has been less clear about where it stands.

NPA spokesperson Panyaza Lesufi said the agency would not comment on suspicions that the document emanated from its office, nor would he comment more generally on the story, saying that this would give credence to allegations that the NPA leaked information to the media.

The document emerged a week after the police said their investigation had uncovered the fact that a recent Zuma camp claim about a plot to assassinate him had been a hoax. Police have said they are considering prosecuting senior members of Zuma’s inner circle in connection with the false claim.

At about the same time Nzimande also disclosed that he had been under surveillance from strange cars whose number plates could not be traced. He said he first reported the incidents early last year.

Two weeks ago the Young Communist League’s national secretary, Buti Manamela, also claimed that an attempt on his life could be linked to broader political events, while SACP national organiser Solly Maphaila said he had been subjected to three ‘strange” hijackings.

Nzimande said the pattern of events reminded his party of circumstances just before the death of Chris Hani. He said that at the time disinformation campaigns alleged that Hani was forming his own secret army and planning to destabilise the country’s first non-racial national election, in 1994.

‘We are glad the ANC says this [the coup plot claims] must be investigated quickly and decisively. Of course we all ought to keep cool heads, but it is a matter of serious concern,” Nzimande told the Mail & Guardian.

Nzimande said he had been warned that in the run-up to the SACP congress in July, stories would be planted in the media to tarnish his image. He said the same thing had happened to Zwelinzima Vavi before the Cosatu congress last year, when stories about an alleged extramarital affair and abuse of Cosatu credit cards were published.

‘We are not fingering our state security apparatus, except that we don’t believe that anyone else would have the capacity to access some of the information in [the coup plot] report. The people who compiled this report have lots of capacity, which ordinarily rests with our security agencies,” Nzimande emphasised, saying that some elements in the coup plot report were accurate.

The knives are out

November 2005

Emails purporting to be exchanges between certain ANC officials discussing how to get rid of Jacob Zuma and general secretary Kgalema Motlanthe from the party come to light.

December 2005

SACP organiser Solly Maphaila is hijacked after meeting Blade Nzimande about the latter’s trip to Libya. His laptop and some documents are stolen and the car is found abandoned elsewhere minus the docu-ments. Maphaila has been hijacked on two subsequent occasions.

May 2006

President Thabo Mbeki reportedly tells an NEC meeting that a group of people is plotting to topple him as president of the country and of the ANC. According to Independent Newspapers, he said the group was using the name of Zuma as a rallying point for its activities and was projecting Mbeki as anti-workers. He said Zuma had nothing to do with the plot.

Early 2006

Nzimande reports to the police that he is being followed by cars with untraceable number plates. In the same year, Cosatu vice-president Joe Nkosi is accused of trying to bribe Nzimande’s bodyguards to provide him with information on Nzimande’s movements. Nkosi denies the allegations but resigns from Cosatu.

May 2007

Zuma backers reveal an assassination plot against the ANC deputy president. Police intelligence say it is a hoax claim intended to enhance Zuma’s profile and to force the state to beef up his already tight security

May 2007

A document reveals plans by Zuma and foreign governments to stage a coup against Mbeki.