The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has not contacted new African National Congress president Jacob Zuma or his advisers about corruption charges against him, he said on Friday.
”I have not been contacted, my advisers have not been contacted, but the media have been contacted,” Zuma said in an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in response to questions about Thursday’s statements by the NPA that it had enough evidence to prosecute him.
He said he was also concerned about the manner in which the NPA ”conducts itself”.
”Their [the NPA’s] trend is towards the media and that is a worry. Ever since they have been dealing with my matter, they dealt with it as if it is a public-relations issue.”
Zuma said the NPA had said different things about the investigation in the past two months. ”If there is any action to be taken, we will cross that bridge when we get there. All I can say that is unfair because it creates a particular perception in South Africa,” he said.
On Thursday, NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali was quoted as telling a radio station: ”On the basis of investigations carried out, enough ground has been covered so far to support evidence such that there is a prosecutable case. The NPA has got to make that decision on this matter and this decision is imminent.”
Agence France-Presse quoted the acting national director of public prosecutions, Mokotedi Mpshe, as saying: ”The investigation, with the evidence we have now, points to a case that can be taken to court.” He added: ”The investigation is complete. All that we are doing now is to tie the loose ends.”
Asked whether charges would be filed soon, Mpshe replied: ”Yes, that’s my impression.”
The corruption charges relate to Zuma’s relationship with financial adviser and fraud convict Schabir Shaik. Zuma was fired as the country’s deputy president in 2005 shortly after Shaik’s conviction.
Initial corruption charges against Zuma were dropped last year as the state said it wasn’t ready to prosecute him.
Kgalema Motlanthe, the party’s new deputy leader, said during the ANC’s national conference in Polokwane that the possibility of renewed charges against Zuma was very difficult for the party.
”The issue of comrade Jacob Zuma facing fresh charges is very difficult to deal with, for the simple reason that many people can face allegations at some point or the other,” he said. ”The prosecution will have a second bite at him and we will see how that pans out.”
Reflecting the opinion of many at the conference, Motlanthe said he was concerned by the way the Scorpions had conducted the investigation, naming Zuma before he was brought to court.
‘Comrade, friend and brother’
Zuma on Friday denied allegations of ”problems” between him and President Thabo Mbeki.
”Mbeki and I have not fought. There is nothing among us,” Zuma told the SABC. ”Comrade Mbeki and I meet every Monday at the officials meeting. We work together in the working committee, the NEC [national executive committee], and we have been working together with the planning of the ANC conference.”
In his first speech as ANC president on Thursday, Zuma referred to Mbeki as ”a comrade, friend and brother”.
”People must not think that we are meeting for the first time. We do not need to give each other guarantees. Mbeki is a leader. We are going to be together all the time,” he said. ”I have known the man, the brother, the friend and indeed the leader for over 30 years.”
Zuma said the party will continue to work to unite and build a stronger ANC. ”There cannot be a Zuma camp nor an Mbeki camp.”
He added there is ”no reason for uncertainty or fear in any quarter”, referring to anxiety over the existence of two centres of power. ”Comrade Mbeki and I, both as members of the ANC first and foremost, will develop smooth working relations between government and the ruling party,” he said. — Sapa