Pretoria - The Jacob Zuma Foundation yesterday challenged labour union Solidarity to "put proof on the table" to support its accusations that witnesses had evidence against former president Zuma during the State Capture Commission of Inquiry.
Foundation spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi was speaking to the Pretoria News yesterday after the union laid charges of corruption, theft, fraud and mismanagement of state funds against Zuma and 20 others who were implicated in the commission’s report that was recently handed to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Manyi also accused commission head, incoming Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, of being factional.
The others charged include former SAA chairperson, Dudu Myeni; former head of Transnet and Eskom Brian Molefe; erstwhile chairperson of Denel Daniel Mantsha; as well as the former chief executive of Denel Zwelakhe Ntshepe.
The charges come after Judge Zondo's report revealed that state funds were used for personal gain by Zuma and the accused.
However, Manyi dismissed the allegations as "hallucinations", "pure gossip" and "wishing someone who was not there into the scene".
A handful of Solidarity members, including CEO Dr Dirk Hermann and legal representative Anton van der Bijl went to the police station to lay the complaint yesterday.
According Hermann, all the accused in the Solidarity docket were involved, at least on a prima facie basis, in criminal activities.
He said: “Residents have a statutory duty to report corrupt activities to the police. This obligation also applies to Solidarity, more so if its members are direct victims.
“The Solidarity docket contain the most comprehensive charges that have so far been submitted to the police as a result of, inter alia, the Zondo report.
“State capturers stole workers’ jobs and their future as well as taxpayers’ hard-earned money. We cannot allow workers’ jobs and money to be stolen and the looters to get away scot-free with all the money. It is our duty to help prosecute state capturers on behalf of our members.
He said that Zuma was accused number one and was charged because of his alleged role in facilitating corrupt activities.
According to Hermann, Molefe was charged with, among other things, fraud for allegedly having facilitated corrupt activities at Transnet and SAA; and Mantsha and the 2015 board of Denel with Ntshepe, are also being charged.
“The NPA has no option but to prosecute the accused in the Solidarity docket. South Africa generally, and workers in particular, demand accountability.”
Pretoria News