Author prepares for battle with state agencies

As the author and publisher of an explosive book revealing South Africa’s “shadow mafia state” prepare for a showdown with government agencies this week, The President’s Keepers has become a local bestseller.

Within hours of the State Security Agency demanding that the book be recalled because it “compromised state security”‚ sales spiked‚ a hacked PDF copy of the book was shared widely and Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane was drawn into the controversy.

Investigative journalist and author Jacques Pauw said in a post on Facebook on Sunday:

“This is my take: if you have a PDF copy and can afford to buy a book‚ please do it. Erase the PDF and buy a book or the Kindle version. If you can’t find a book now‚ read the PDF but you should still order a book.

“If you cannot afford a book‚ go for it and read it. You have my blessing.

“This is not about money. It is about your support that is going to enable us to legally lock horns with SARS [the South African Revenue Service]‚ the State Security Agency and whoever else drags us to court‚” he said.

The security agency has threatened to take the author and publisher to court on Tuesday if the book is not recalled and certain parts of it sanitised.

SARS accused Pauw of contravening the Tax Administration Act for revealing details of President Jacob Zuma’s tax affairs. Pauw said he was ready for the imminent court battles.

“We face the potential of a multitude of legal challenges‚ both criminal and civil. If you read the book‚ you will realise that it is a tried-and-tested strategy of the state to legally [wear] out their enemies‚” he said.

The spy agency’s efforts to get the book shelved through legal action and the public protector’s tweeted denunciation of the offering have resulted in a massive boost in sales as curiosity soars about what government agencies want to hide.