African Press Review 28 July 2018

Can South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma continue to dodge justice? And, who forced Robert Mugabe from office? Zimbabwe's military or the broad masses?

African leaders who leave office, willingly or otherwise, amid allegations of corruption are seldom prosecuted. Typically, those who don't end up dead in a ditch continue to enjoy their ill-gotten gains, at home or in pampered exile.

South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma looks to be an exception. Or maybe not.

Yesterday, he made his third appearance in Pietermaritzburg High Court on charges of fraud and corruption.

Naturally, there's plenty of coverage in the South African press.

The Sowetan says "Zuma talked tough‚ making veiled threats that he would one day reveal all about the plot to prosecute him."

The paper adds that he seemed buoyed by his newly appointed lawyers‚ saying his legal team would thwart the latest attempt to charge him.

The Sowetan carries half a dozen related stories, including "Five things you need to know from Jacob Zuma's court appearance," perhaps the most striking of which is that "Zuma is charged with 16 charges that include fraud‚ corruption and racketeering."

The charges relate to 783 payments which he allegedly received as a bribe to protect French arms company Thales from an investigation into a controversial multi-billion rand arms deal.

Another intriguing story is headlined "Zuma has more supporters now than when he was president, backers claim."

The paper quotes Bishop Timothy Ngcobo, of the National Interfaith Council of South Africa, who says there's been a groundswell of pro-Zuma sentiment.

The bishop has been a key player in arranging vigils and rallying support for Zuma.

"By 9.30pm‚ about 100 people were at the vigil outside the court house," reports the Sowetan. "But Ngcobo said bus loads – literally – were on their way to the capital of KwaZulu-Natal."

Business Day reports that Zuma’s new legal team wants a permanent stay of prosecution, along with the news that opposition parties have lodged applications asking the court to order the state to stop funding Zuma’s legal fees.

Business Day says that, having fired his long-time attorney and appointed a new and larger team of lawyers, "what the evasive former president’s next move will be in his battle to avoid facing a trial judge is yet to be seen. But Zuma appears to be sticking to his "Stalingrad defence", deploying every possible legal diversion to stop his prosecution."

Is it working? Perhaps: "The case against Zuma and French company Thales has been postponed for a further three months to allow the defence teams to make applications for a permanent stay of prosecution," the paper notes.

The paper reminds its readers that his "appearance on Friday comes almost a decade to the day after his first appearance... in the same court on 18 charges of corruption‚ money laundering‚ fraud and tax evasion."

Evidently, the wheels of South African justice turn very slowly.

Staying with the subject of ousted presidents, the Herald in Zimbabwe informs readers that "G40 cabalist Professor Jonathan Moyo yesterday finally admitted that former president, Robert Mugabe, was removed from office by the masses, departing from his stance that it was the military that kicked him out.

"The fugitive Prof Moyo made the confession in an article he wrote for an online publication  ZimEye," the paper says.

During the last days of Mr Mugabe’s rule, it explains, Prof Moyo was a key member of the G40 cabal that used the former president’s wife, Grace, to destroy Zanu-PF from within.

"Senior Zanu-PF members were terrorised by Mrs Mugabe at rallies before they were expelled without following the ruling party's constitution," says the Herald.

"Meanwhile, the G40 cabalists went on a looting spree in government ministries that they headed. When the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission tried to arrest them for graft, they were protected by Mrs Mugabe and her husband," the paper claims.

As far as we know, Bob and Grace Mugabe are living in comfortable retirement.