South Africa

Mbeki faces bribe allegations, Zuma has his day in court

Article published on the 2008-08-04 Latest update 2008-08-04 20:09 TU

South African President Thabo Mbeki (L) and former Vice-President Jacob Zuma.
(Photo : AFP et V. Hirsch/RFI)

President Thabo Mbeki allegedly received 2.6 million euros in bribes from a German arms manufacturer in order to ensure that the company would receive a submarine building contract, a South African newspaper reported Sunday.

The Sunday Times report, based on a secret 2007 study carried out by a UK consultancy, indicates that Mbeki didn’t keep the money, turning 177,000 euros over to African National Congress (ANC) leader Jacob Zuma, and the rest to the ANC.

According to the Times, the consultancy was commissioned to carry out the study of German shipbuilder MAN Ferrostaal by a rival arms manufacturer that was considering a hostile takeover.

MAN Ferrostaal has since won a 532 million euro contract to build three submarines for the South African Navy. The report also alleges that the South African secret services were aware of the bribe.

The Times reports that Mbeki’s spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said the allegations were “of such fantastical proportions as not to warrant any response".

“This isn’t the first time Mbeki has been implicated in the arms bribery scandal, … but now there’s a figure tacked onto the charges", said Hennie Van Vuuren, head of the compliance and governance program at the Institute for Security Studies in Cape Town.

“One of the real concerns in South Africa at the moment is calls for a general amnesty around the arms deal. If politicians disclose their engagement in the arms deal, they will be given amnesty,” Van Vuuren explained. “The concern is that this could lead to the real truth eventually being swept under the carpet,” he said.

This comes as Zuma has his first day in court on Monday, facing corruption and money-laundering charges that could threaten his hopes of becoming South Africa’s next President.

This is the second time that Zuma has been accused of corruption. The first charges were dismissed in 2006. Zuma’s supporters say that the charges are political, and his lawyers are asking that the case be thrown out.

Over 1,000 supporters gathered outside the courthouse in Zuma’s native Pietermaritzburg on Monday, singing, chanting and waving placard to denounce the charges.