Scandals that have plagued Jacob Zuma up until his arrest
Jacob Zuma handed himself to the police late last night after he was slapped with an effective 15 months behind bars by the ConCourt. His sentence came after failing to appear at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry. However, he was given five days to toss himself to the police.
Below are some of the main scandals involving Zuma, South Africa’s most divisive president since the end of apartheid in 1994. He was in power from 2009 to 2018.
State Capture
A few years ago the public protector published a report in 2016 entitled “The State of Capture”. The report indicated how Zuma’s businessman friends, the Gupta brothers, had tried to influence the appointment of Cabinet ministers and were unlawfully awarded state tenders.
Back then in 2018, an inquiry was set up to investigate his ruling tenure. However, Zuma denies wrongdoing and has so far not cooperated. The Guptas, who also deny wrongdoing, left South Africa after Zuma’s ouster.
1990’s Arms Dealings
Government Ministers Sacking
Later that year, Nene told a judicial corruption inquiry he had been fired by Zuma for refusing to approve a $100 billion nuclear power deal with Russia in 2015.
Scandals that have plagued Jacob Zuma up until his arrest
Midnight Reshuffle
Zuma fired Gordhan as finance minister and Mcebisi Jonas as deputy finance minister in a midnight reshuffle in March 2017. South African financial markets plummeted, with senior officials in the governing African National Congress (ANC) expressing anger at the lack of consultation.
Waterkloof Landing
The Guptas used the top-security Waterkloof air base to fly in 200 guests from India for a family member’s wedding in 2013, sparking a public outcry. The ANC called the landing reckless and a breach of national security.
Nkandla Security Upgrades
Soon after Zuma became president, it emerged that millions of dollars of public money had been spent on upgrades to his sprawling country estate, including a swimming pool that one minister justified as a firefighting resource.
Zuma weathered a no-confidence vote in parliament over the upgrades and paid back more than $500,000 after unsuccessfully trying to argue his case in the constitutional court.
Rape Allegations
While deputy president of the ANC, Zuma was charged with raping the HIV-positive daughter of a friend who had been imprisoned on Robben Island with Zuma during the apartheid era.
Zuma was acquitted in 2006 but was ridiculed after saying he had showered after sex to reduce the risk of contracting HIV.