Journalist Khaya Koko has a look at some of the scandals involving President Jacob Zuma that made waves in the country:
The Schabir Shaik Trial (2005)
This court case was arguably Jacob Zuma’s greatest albatross
for almost 13 years as it choked any possibility of a scandal-free presidency for him.
In May 2005, Shaik was found guilty of corruption and fraud for, inter alia, soliciting a bribe on Zuma’s behalf from French arms company Thomson-CSF (currently known as Thales), as well as writing off over R1million of Msholozi’s unpaid debt.
More than 700 graft-related charges were laid against Zuma in 2007 as a result of the Shaik verdict, but were dropped moments before Nxamalala ascended to the Union Buildings.
Fezekile "Khwezi" Kuzwayo (2005-2006)
With her head bowed and wrapped in a brightly coloured scarf, Fezekile “Khwezi” Kuzwayo scurried into the courtroom, surrounded by a bevy of security personnel, while chants of “Burn the bitch” rang out from the bloodthirsty crowd.
Nothing encapsulated the humiliation Kuzwayo endured after accusing Zuma of rape in 2005 than the aforementioned image. Zuma was 32 years Kuzwayo’s senior.
International media descended onto South Africa for the rape trial, which ended in Zuma’s acquittal in May 2006.
During the court case, however, Zuma shocked many when he said he took a shower after having unprotected sex with a woman he knew was HIV-positive, in order to cleanse himself from contracting the virus.
These startling remarks elicited the ire of many HIV/Aids activists, who said that what he said was reversing much of the hard work that had been done to educate people that the only way to prevent the spread of the virus was through the use of condoms.
Gender-rights fighters were outraged at Zuma’s apparent nonchalance of sleeping with the daughter of an exile comrade and friend.
Khwezi died in October 2016.
Sonono Khoza (2010)
Just over seven months after his May 2009 inauguration as South Africa’s fourth democratically elected president, news broke that Zuma had fathered a child out of wedlock with his friend Irvin "The Iron Duke” Khoza’s daughter, Sonono.
According to media reports Sonono had given birth three months before Zuma tied the knot for the fifth time.
This scandal will be best remembered for the awkward pause Msholozi had at the 2010 State of the Nation Address (Sona) before he wished The Iron Duke all the best in hosting that year’s Fifa World Cup. Khoza was the chairperson of the football extravaganza’s local organising committee.
Sona was delivered 11 days after news of Sonono and Zuma’s baby broke.
The Gupta aircraft landing (2013)
On a cool autumn morning in April 2013, arguably the most controversial family in post-apartheid South Africa landed a commercial jet, which ferried roughly 200 of its wedding guests, on a strip on Air Force Base Waterkloof, near Pretoria.
According to the official government report into the matter, landing on this base is reserved only for heads of state and their deputies.
Zuma was drawn into this controversy after it emerged that the then chief of state protocol, Bruce Koloane, said he was “under pressure from Number 1” to allow the Guptas to land - according to the government report.
The Presidency subsequently denied that Zuma was involved in the landing. Koloane was later demoted but is today South Africa’s ambassador to the Netherlands.
Nkandla (2009-2016)
Zuma’s home in a remote KwaZulu-Natal village came to define Msholozi’s scandal-plagued presidency.
First exposed by the late journalist Mandy Rossouw in 2009 when the project was still valued at R65million, the taxpayer-funded upgrades to Zuma’s home illicitly ballooned to over R200m.
The scandal spawned several investigations to determine whether there was any wrongdoing, including one by former police minister Nathi Nhleko - sweating buckets during its delivery - which exonerated Zuma.
However, the Secure in Comfort report by former public protector Thuli Madonsela - which Zuma vigorously contested - won the day, leading to the Constitutional Court ruling that Nxamalala had violated his oath of office, and should pay for the non-security upgrades, as recommended by Madonsela. Zuma did so, forking out an amount of R7.8m.
@khayakoko88