Bank account closures thuggery

AS THE National Coloured Congress, we are unsure what to make of FNB’s decision to close the bank account of former president Jacob Zuma.

Many are applauding the stance of FNB; we are not among them. Because as strong as our collective suspicions are, Zuma has never been found guilty in a court of law.

Our Constitution affirms the right of every person to be held innocent until proven guilty. This is everyone’s right, and as polarising as Mr Zuma might be, his rights are as sacrosanct as yours and mine.

Marcus Jooste’s bank accounts were never subjected to closure. Neither was Steinhoff’s. But Sekunjalo Media group has been fighting a legal battle for years as banks seek to illegally close their accounts.

The overriding question is: is political thuggery at work? Or do only people of colour who have achieved success get judged by people capable of economic assassination? We hold no brief for Zuma or Sekunjalo, but financial institutions seem hell-bent on being found guilty of tampering with our judicial system.

The SA Zionist Federation, for example, has lambasted South Africa’s admirable stance regarding the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. But it has collected funds from South Africans to repatriate to Israel. Many credible international NPOs accuse Israel of being an apartheid state, and the UN has ruled that Israel has committed human rights atrocities, yet these financial institutions don’t close the banks of organisations bankrolling apartheid and land theft.

The government needs to bring the big banks to heel. People of colour will no longer be scapegoats for those with selective morals.

FADIEL ADAMS | President, National Coloured Congress