First Lady MaNtuli's lawyer slams Zuma book as 'rubbish'

First Lady Nompumelelo MaNtuli Zuma's lawyer slams Gayton McKenzie's book, Kill Zuma: By Any Means Necessary. File picture: Pier Paolo Cito/AP

First Lady Nompumelelo MaNtuli Zuma's lawyer slams Gayton McKenzie's book, Kill Zuma: By Any Means Necessary. File picture: Pier Paolo Cito/AP

Published Dec 17, 2017

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DURBAN - NONSENSE! 

That’s how First Lady Nompumelelo MaNtuli Zuma’s attorney, Ulrich Roux, described ex-convict-turned businessman and author

Gayton McKenzie’s book entitled: Kill Zuma By Any Means Necessary.

In the book McKenzie claims to reveal how MaNtuli, Zuma’s fourth wife, tried without success to kill the president by poisoning him.

McKenzie writes that the poison used in the attempt was identified by Russia’s Central Clinical Hospital as ricin.

Zuma spent a week at the Russian hospital, which McKenzie describes as heavily guarded.

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This was after South Africa’s healthcare facilities had failed to detect the poison.

Google explains that a few grains of purified ricin powder can kill a human being.

Lashing out at McKenzie, Roux said: “The book is rubbish. I will not even bother to read it because McKenzie lacks credibility. This is just nonsense.”

McKenzie left the ANC and formed a political party, the Patriotic Alliance, in 2013.

Roux said his client rejected all the allegations in the book.

McKenzie, who has dared the people implicated in his book to sue him, gives a blow-by-blow account of Zuma’s near-death moment.

He says the plan to kill Zuma, dubbed “master plan”, started at the Musgrave Shopping Centre in Durban when MaNtuli was approached by Bill Harvey, a man who later became her boyfriend.

Harvey wanted MaNtuli to help him choose a dress for his wife.

Later Harvey persuaded MaNtuli, who was reluctant at first, to poison Zuma.

McKenzie writes that it is believed MaNtuli might have added the poison in Zuma’s favourite meal, about which MaNtuli is quoted as saying: “I’m the only person who makes his cornbread the way he prefers; he will never fly without sending one of his guys to come collect his bread and amasi.”

Picture: Supplied

Harvey allegedly told MaNtuli that they would be rewarded with R10 million if the mission was successful.

Infuriated, Roux said these claims were all lies aimed at tarnishing MaNtuli’s image.

Asked if he would pursue legal action against McKenzie, Roux said: “I don’t have time to entertain people like him.”

McKenzie writes that after the alleged poisoning attempt, former state security minister and now Energy Minister, David Mahlobo, was sent to evict MaNtuli in January 2015 from Nkandla, accompanied by Zuma’s younger brother, Michael.Speaking at a rally in Phongolo, north of KwaZulu-Natal, in August, Zuma, without mentioning names, told ANC supporters that some people had tried to poison him.

He said this was prompted by South Africa joining Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).

Zuma repeated the claim in an interview with ANN7 recently but wouldn’t be drawn into revealing names.

The book also claims that attempts were also made to poison KwaZulu-Natal premier Willies Mchunu and Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza because of their stance on unity.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE

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