Zuma takes aim: Will he oust his ‘keepers’ at the commission or in his book?

The former president has been at the receiving end of allegations in books. Will his book, announced by The Jacob G. Zuma Foundation, include allegations of his own?

May 20, 2019. Former South Africa President Jacob Zuma in the Pietermaritzburg High Court where he is hoping to avoid corruption charges. Picture : JACKIE Clausen / Pool

Investigative journalist Jacques Pauw exposed some of the darkest secrets at the heart of former president Jacob Zuma’s allegedly compromised government during his reign. In his book titled The President’s Keepers: Those keeping Zuma in power and out of prison, Pauw elaborated on how a “cancerous” cabal eliminated the president’s enemies and purged law enforcement agencies of both men and women.

It is through this cabal that Zuma remained in power and out of prison, the book alleged, and it questioned if Zuma was the puppet master or the puppet in this equation.

The President’s Keepers exposes a shadow state reaching from the far ends of KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape to both Johannesburg and Pretoria. From spies, cronies, to kingmakers, Pauw probes the alleged web of deceit that surrounded the former statesman, who on Monday appeared before the Zondo commission into state capture to provide his version of the truth.

Monday marked the first day for Zuma’s testimony. His much-awaited version of events got increasingly explosive as he called Ngoako Ramatlhodi a spy who was recruited when he was a student in Lesotho, claiming that was the reason he had come to the inquiry to accuse Zuma of auctioning off the country.

Zuma’s testimony is expected to last until Friday. Whether he will implicate more prominent people at the commission remains to be seen.

Or, perhaps he will do so in his much-anticipated book.

In a March tweet, Zuma announced that his foundation was working on creating this book, inviting South Africans to submit and share their stories.

The Jacob G. Zuma Foundation is working on a project which I am quite excited about. They are inviting South Africans from all walks of life whose paths have crossed with mine to submit and share their stories with us.

Please send submissions to admin@jacobzumafoundation.org.za pic.twitter.com/UUzDhVOAtL

— Jacob G Zuma (@PresJGZuma) May 31, 2019

The foundation said the book would be a compilation of stories detailing the impact and influence Zuma had on South Africans.

The foundation said: “You may have met him when he was a herdboy, a young worker, a trade unionist, a prisoner on Robben Island, in uMkhonto we Sizwe as an underground operative or when he was head of ANC Intelligence.

“Perhaps you interacted with him when he was part of Codesa negotiations, when he served as MEC of KwaZulu-Natal or even as the deputy president or president of the ANC and the Republic of South Africa. We look forward to receiving your stories, insights, and any other contribution [Zuma may have made] to your success or development.”

The former statesman has implied that The President’s Keepers was not up to scratch.

Speaking at the National Council of Provinces in 2017, shortly after Jacques Pauw’s book was published, Zuma reacted to DA members waving copies of the book by questioning its authenticity, saying it consisted of “speculation‚ rumours and allegations which they believe are tested facts.”

We’ll have to wait and see if the insights contained in his upcoming book will contain allegations of his own.

I hope this State Capture Commission of yours won’t start asking uBaba information he’s reserving for the book. Remember he once threatened his comrades with a book that would reveal their corruption?

— Zakes Mda (@ZakesMda) July 12, 2019