Mudflinging Zuma is by no means a victim

It has been an extraordinary weekend on SA’S political front, with three former presidents publicly lamenting the state of affairs in the country under the leadership of besieged President Cyril Ramaphosa. Former president Thabo Mbeki, who has in the past openly criticised the ANC and the government for its failures, spoke candidly about an electoral policy designed to ensure power for the ruling party and Ramaphosa’s fate in the wake of the Phala Phala robbery scandal.

Kgalema Motlanthe warned that the country was on a “precipice”.

“The time for ideas and the time to exchange has never been more pressing for the survival of democracy and humanity than it is now,” he said during his address at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation Inclusive Growth Forum in the Drakensberg.

But it was former president Jacob Zuma who came out swinging on Saturday, while advancing the narrative that he was a victim and being unjustly persecuted.

In the firing line was Ramaphosa, who Zuma accused of being corrupt and having committed treason.

“Conducting private business while holding the high office of president is nothing but corruption, which is inconsistent with the nature of that office and the constitution,” he said.

He also crucified the media and civil society for being silent on the matter.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, who Zuma himself appointed to lead the commission investigating claims of state capture, was not spared as the former president blamed him for “setting out an unprecedented legal process against me”.

Zuma has declared that he is ready to lead if the ANC so wishes, but should the country simply turn a blind eye to state capture and the former president’s proximity to the family accused of plundering state coffers?

He is also yet to answer to the charges of corruption, racketeering and money laundering he faces relating to the country’s controversial 1999 arms deal with French company Thales.

This case has dragged on for years and is likely to commence only next year, unless another spoke is put in the wheels of justice.

What was clear from the Zuma press briefing was that SA should brace itself for the political mudflinging that usually comes with ANC elective conferences.

Yes, Ramaphosa has a lot to answer for and he faces an uphill battle as he runs for a second term in office, but Zuma is by no means a victim or an innocent bystander.

This case has dragged on for years and is likely to commence only next year, unless another spoke is put in the wheels of justice