JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Former South African president, Jacob Zuma on Tuesday has denied being responsible for the transfer of former government communications head Themba Maseko, who said he was axed for defying attempts to be bullied by one of the Gupta brothers.
According to reports being monitored by CEOAfrica, Zuma dismissed Maseko’s claims that he instructed minister in the presidency Collins Chabane to transfer or dismiss him in January 2011 are “fishy”.
Unfortunately, the minister, Chabane died in a car accident in 2015.
While evidence leader Paul Pretorius was questioning the former president, his advocate Thabani Masuku objected, saying his questions amounted to “cross examination”, and went beyond the bounds of seeking clarity from him.
Masuku argued that it was “not fair to call a former president to answer questions about how an official was removed”, without explicitly saying that this removal was driven by corruption. “Mr Maseko’s allegations are being tested against Mr Zuma,” he argued, adding that this amounted to a “credibility issue”.
However, Pretorius said the inquiry was not pursuing a civil or criminal case, and he was asking Zuma to address the factual evidence that had been led, and if not done so, would be “grossly unfair”.
Zuma’s advocate was still not convinced, and repeated his client complaint that he has effectively been treated as a “criminal accused” at the inquiry, adding that the inquiry had never sought to get Zuma’s evidence “as they have with other witnesses”.
The ex-SA communication boss had previously testified before the inquiry that late Chabane told him that Zuma called him from overseas about his position at the Government Communication and Information System, GCIS, department. This call resulted in him being moved to the department of public service and administration.
But Zuma denied the allegation on Tuesday that he “never instructed the minister to do so”.
After admitting that he would “definitely” have been consulted about the transfer of someone in Maseko’s former position, Zuma maintained that it was Chabane who wanted Maseko moved. “I think there was an issue between them,” he said.
Maseko had last year, testified before the inquiry’s chair, deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo, while detailing how he was fired shortly after refusing to abide by Zuma’s instruction to “help” the Guptas, claiming he was fired a month after he refused to meet with them.
He said the Guptas demanded R600m from the GCIS budget for media spending to be used on their now defunct newspaper, The New Age, which went to print for the first time in December 2010.
Maseko claimed Ajay Gupta told him that Zuma would “sort out” any minister who refused to hand over their advertising budget to him. Asked on Tuesday if there was any basis on which Ajay Gupta could say that, Zuma responded: “No, I don’t know.”
Why Zuma is facing the Inquiry Commission
In 2016 there were allegations of an overly close and potentially corrupt relationship between the wealthy Gupta family and the South African president Jacob Zuma, his family and leading members of the African National Congress (ANC).South African Opposition parties have made claims of "State Capture" following allegations that the Guptas, said to be close to President Jacob Zuma, his family and other ANC leaders, had insinuated themselves into a position where they could offer Cabinet positions and influence the running of government.
These allegations were made in light of revelations by former ANC MP Vytjie Mentor and Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas that they had been offered Cabinet positions by the Guptas at the family's home in Saxonwold, Johannesburg.
What is state capture
The classical definition of state capture refers to the way formal procedures (such as laws and social norms) and government bureaucracy are manipulated by private individuals and firms so as to influence state policies and laws in their favor.
State capture seeks to influence the formation of laws to protect and promote influential private interests. In this way it differs from most other forms of corruption which instead seek selective enforcement of already existing laws.
Meanwhile CEOAfrica has so far gathered that, Zuma, who resigned office last year amid intense pressure by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), is still expected to respond to allegations that he allowed cronies to plunder state resources and influence senior government appointments during his nine years in power.
While the former president has consistently denied wrongdoing, saying the allegations against him are politically motivated.