Agrizzi them
Inquiry hears of alleged plots to oust and kill him
There was a string of non-recollections and memory gaps when questions by the evidence leaders at the state capture inquiry were put to former president Jacob Zuma during his first appearance at the commission. Yesterday, Zuma could not seem to recall the contents of a phone call, or that he had even made one, to former Government Communication and Information System boss Themba Maseko in 2010.
In the call, allegedly made on the same day Maseko was due to meet members of the Gupta family, Zuma is said to have instructed him to “help” the Guptas.
In the meeting, Ajay Gupta is said to have instructed Maseko to direct GCIS’s entire R600m media advertising budget into the family’s media interests, which he refused to do.
Asked if he had anything to do with arranging the meeting between Maseko and Ajay Gupta, Zuma said no. He also could not remember calling Maseko.
“I don’t remember because I normally called the directorgenerals, particularly this one, to discuss a number of issues. I can’t remember making this call. It is natural that they [the Guptas] would want to talk to him. I don’t think there was anything out of the ordinary,” Zuma said.
“If such a call is made would that call have moved away from the normal procedures? ... I had nothing to do with this discussion with Maseko...I’m sure Gupta can explain better.”
This formed the first official line of questioning by the commission into allegations leveled against Zuma.
But Zuma’s memory seemed to have served him better in his lengthy opening address to the commission earlier yesterday, when he spent three hours detailing what he believed to be an almost 30-year-long “character assassination” campaign to have him ousted from leadership positions in the ANC and government.
He said as the ANC’s chief of intelligence in the early 1990s, he received a report saying there were three intelligence organisations, two foreign and one local, that had met and plotted “a process of character assassination against Zuma”.
Zuma said this was done because he had information on spies within the ANC. Zuma blamed the so-called plot to have him ousted for all the major controversies that plagued his presidency, including the arms deal case, the upgrades to his Nkandla homestead, and most recently allegations of state capture and his relationship with the Gupta family.
“I’ve had a problem that this is not said that this is a commission for corruption, why do you call it state capture? Does it mean the judges are captured? Is government captured? Is parliament captured?
“... It’s an exaggeration. It is meant to enhance this narrative against Zuma,” he said. So desperate is this plot, according to Zuma, that there were numerous failed attempts on his life.
“Just recently there was a function in Durban where the maskandis wanted to fill the stadium. Some of those people planned to murder me inside the stadium. I know them. They planned to murder me. What saved my life is because I did not go there. This is an attempt on my life. There’s been people sent from outside the country to come and kill me but I have been patient, not saying a thing,” Zuma said. “Perhaps it is important that before I die I tell the story. The plan to kill me in Durban was very detailed. It involved people who are suicidal bombers from outside...”
But amidst the many claims he placed before the commission, Zuma also admitted to be the mastermind behind the Guptas’ media propaganda machine, The New Age newspaper and the ANN7 television station.
“If people could complain and say I abused them [the Guptas], that one I could plead guilty.”
He said he had suggested that they “try a media business because we are comrades, we need an alternative voice. Is it possible that you could establish a newspaper?” “They had never thought of the idea. They finally said, ‘I think it’s a good idea’. They came back to say now they decided they wanted to establish a newspaper… Once they agreed, I then thought it would be important for me to make one person aware of this, Gwede Mantashe [ANC national chairperson]. I said I have talked to these comrades for them to do their business and they seem to be warm to the idea. I also informed the DSG [Jessie Duarte] about this.”
Zuma admitted that he even suggested the name for the newspaper.
“They loved this name The New Age and that’s how the paper was named. They established the newspaper, started work, we were very happy,” he said.
“When this paper was operating, I then said to them this is very successful, what about a TV channel. I suggested the paper to them, I suggested the TV channel…I know that people who had problems had a lot to say about this. I thought it was a very good thing that they did, there was no law broken there... This was a normal kind of interaction.”
His testimony was expected to continue at 10am today.
‘ ‘ The plan to kill me in Durban was very detailed