Jacob Zuma indicted! But it remains anyone’s guess whether he goes back to prison where he spent so much time (on Robben Island) for “conspiring to overthrow” the Apartheid regime; or whether he rides his wave of unebbing popularity to become the next president of South Africa…
Just weeks ago, all of America experienced heart palpitations after a special prosecutor indicted an aide to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on perjury charges. Well, relatively speaking, all of Africa must have went into cardiac arrest last weekend after prosecutors indicted South Africa’s Deputy President Jacob Zuma on corruption charges.
Zuma’s indictment stems from his suspicious dealings with his personal financial adviser and two French arms manufacturers. But the nature of politics in South Africa is such that the more compromised his political integrity, the more Zuma’s popularity seems to increase amongst a critical mass of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). Nonetheless, it is highly unlikely that the principled and uncompromising South African President Thabo Mbeki will be unnerved by the political hysteria surrounding Zuma’s legal woes. After all, this indictment represents quiet vindication for the bold move he made by sacking Zuma when the National Prosecuting Authority announced it would charge him with two counts of corruption months ago.
It remains to be seen, however, whether Zuma’s cult-like supporters will allow the court to determine his fate; or whether they will mount increasingly violent and destabilising protests under banners claiming that Zuma’s prosecution is politically motivated (and led by Mbeki himself).
Stay tuned…
News and Politics
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