Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma faces a huge crisis in his political career after the country’s Supreme Court of Appeal Thursday ordered that the so-called Zuma “spy tapes” must be released.
The Bloemfontein court ruled that within five days, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had to comply with a previous order to release the tapes.
The tapes were key to Zuma being elected as President following a highly publicised fallout with former President Thabo Mbeki, who had axed Zuma when he was linked to a corruption scandal.
Conversations on the recordings were cited as a reason to drop the fraud and corruption charges against Zuma, just days before he was sworn in as president in 2009.
The tapes allegedly reveal collusion between the former heads of the Directorate of Special Operations, Leonard McCarthy, and the NPA’s former head Bulelani Ngcuka to manipulate Zuma’s investigation before the ANC’s Polokwane conference in 2007.
Zuma was elected ANC president at that conference, paving the way for his rise to the presidency and the demise of Mbeki’s political career.
The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) applied for access to the recordings and, despite winning previous court cases, could not obtain them.
Zuma’s legal team had argued that the DA would use them against him for political gain.
DA Leader Helen Zille, who attended Thursday’s court hearing, hailed the ruling, saying it is a historic day in South Africa’s constitutional democracy.
“As long as we have an independent judiciary that is prepared to hand down court orders such as this one today, we are still standing and we are still fighting. Through five years and six court applications we have asked for the tapes, for the records showing why the decision was made for charges on over 700 counts of corruption against Jacob Zuma to be withdrawn, clearing the way for him to become President.
”And today the courts have answered our call. It is, in fact, the call of all South Africans for accountability, and equality before the law,’’ she said.
She said her party will study the tapes very carefully to make sure that they are authentic and will then release them to the public.
Zille said the court’s ruling would turn out to be the most important review case in 20 years of South Africa’s democracy.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) said it noted the Supreme Court of Appeal’s order that the so-called “spy tapes” be released.
“We trust that the outcome will bring the matter closer to finality,” ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said in a statement.
Photo: World Economic Forum
