South Africa's former
president faces Corruption Inquiry
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| Former South African President Jacob Zuma, arrives at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture (AFP) |
Former South African President, Jacob Zuma, appeared before
a judicial panel on Monday for the first time to answer accusations that he
consented to - and benefited from - widespread corruption during his nine-year
rule.
By Linda Bordoni
Many South Africans said they were surprised when the former
President actually turned up on Monday morning at the Johannesburg State
Capture Commission to respond to claims he allowed friends and cronies to
plunder state resources and influence government appointments.
But looking relaxed, and encouraged by a group of clapping
and chanting supporters, Jacob Zuma arrived at the Commission on time,
and in his opening remarks, claimed to be the victim of conspiracy by enemies
who, he said, had been trying to get rid of him for over 20 years.
State Capture
During the hearings, lawyers for the Commission of Inquiry
will question 77-year-old Zuma about claims by previous witnesses that he
allowed members of the Gupta family, who were his friends, to influence his
administration’s appointments and to flout government rules to further their
business interests.
His own ex-Finance Minister estimates that more than 7.2
billion US dollars may have been looted during Zuma’s leadership of the
country that is struggling with widespread poverty, record rates of
unemployment, the influx of millions of refugees and an AIDS pandemic.
But Zuma, ousted by the governing African National Congress
in February 2018 and replaced by President Cyril Ramaphosa, has consistently
denied wrongdoing over his nine years in power.
Zuma himself set up the Corruption Inquiry he now sits
before in his final weeks as president, when under pressure from rivals within
the ANC who feared scandals surrounding its leader could indelibly
tarnish the party's reputation ahead of national elections.
The Inquiry, headed by South Africa's deputy chief justice,
held its first hearing last August and is due to finish next year.
Signal to the people
President Ramaphosa, Zuma's former deputy, has made sweeping
personnel changes in government and state-owned companies as part of an effort
to curb corruption and revive the stagnant economy. But it’s the outcome of the
Inquiry that could definitely quash the lingering influence that Zuma and his
allies continue to exert over the ANC’s top decision-making bodies AND send a
strong signal to the people that the government really is tackling the evil of
corruption face-on!
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