VAVI TELLS MBEKI HE IS SO SORRY

AN EMOTIONAL Zwelinzima Vavi yesterday apologised to former president Thabo Mbeki and one-time director of public prosecutions Bulelani Ngcuka for believing they were behind corruption charges against President Jacob Zuma.

Vavi said his mistake was to doubt the legitimacy of corruption charges which were dropped in 2009, just before Zuma became SA ’ s president.

The former Cosatu leader also apologised to former union leaders Willie Madisha and Mbhazima Shilowa who he had ridiculed for having a close relationship with Mbeki.

Years after being consumed with anger, believing there was a political conspiracy against Zuma and making remarks about it, he felt a weight had been lifted off his shoulders for coming out in the open about Mbeki.

Zuma was Mbeki ’ s deputy president at the time and had the backing of Cosatu to replace Mbeki at the ANC ’ s 2007 elective conference in Polokwane. Vavi was in the forefront of the leaders campaigning for Zuma and believed the charges were trumped up to block Zuma from ascending to power.

Vavi claimed he realised there was never a political plot when Zuma tried to block the release of the controversial spy tapes that led to the withdrawal of the corruption charges.

He said it did not make sense why Zuma would spend millions of taxpayers ’ money fighting in court when he was in a position to prove his innocence. “I passionately believed the deputy president was a victim of this political footwork,” he said.