Zuma’s abuse of system ‘no surprise’

The use of the SA intelligence community by former president Jacob Zuma to achieve his political ends was abuse of the highest order and not a surprise, political experts have said.

Political analyst Professor Susan Booysen, research director at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, said there was no doubt Zuma abused the intelligence department during his reign.

“It’s not a surprise that the high-level report came up with that observation. Much of what came out of the Zondo commission was a confirmation of the report by the [2018] High Level Panel into the State Security Agency activities,” Booysen said.

Another analyst, Dr Ralph Mathekga, said there had been strong reports and speculation that Zuma was using the intelligence services to fight his political battles within the ANC.

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The analyst highlighted the Mdluli factor and the role of the crime intelligence that went back to the Mangaung period.

“It was during that 2012 conference in Mangaung that Jacob Zuma consolidated his hold on the state security,” Mathekga said.

“But it is still shocking that the man even received direct payment. You can imagine whoever was giving him that payment how much of the money they were stealing for themselves. It means it was a wholesale looting at the State Security Agency [SSA].”

The high-level review panel, chaired by Dr Sydney Mufamadi, was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to probe the activities of the intelligence community with a view to restructuring it.

Booysen said Mufamadi’s evidence at the Commission off Inquiry into State Capture was confirmation of what was contained in his panel report.

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She said the original report contained more details about what the intelligence did to abate the Zuma administration.

“There is little doubt that there was abuse at the highest level. It’s a shame something like that could have happened,” Booysen said.

Mufamadi told the Zondo probe this week of the alleged recruitment of members of the judiciary to secure Zuma favourable outcomes in cases against him, dubbed “Project Justice”.

In a scheme known as “Project Commitment”, an estimated R80 million was allegedly offered to Zuma from the SSA for about two years.

A further amount of R5 million was meant to provide housing for Zuma’s wife, maNtuli. The project received a further
R800,000 monthly.

The intelligence community initiated Project Wave to help protect Zuma’s reputation locally and internationally.

It received an estimated R20 million for services rendered for eight months.

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